SER101: Introduction to Social Welfare (Heaney): Web Resources
Researching Internet Resources
Searching the web takes skills in evaluation and research. Use the suggested credible websites below, or conduct your own research using the evaluation tips on the right.
Recommended Internet Resources
- Administration for Children and Families"The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a division of the Department of Health & Human Services. We promote the economic and social well-being of children, families, individuals and communities with leadership and resources for compassionate, effective delivery of human services."
- Children's Defense FundCDF provides a strong, effective and independent voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor children, children of color and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investments before they get sick, drop out of school, get into trouble or suffer family breakdown.
- Institute for Policy Studies"IPS is a progressive think tank dedicated to building a more equitable, ecologically sustainable, and peaceful society. In partnership with dynamic social movements, we turn transformative policy ideas into action."
- National Center for Law and Economic Justice"Serves low-income families, individuals, and communities by advancing the cause of economic justice through ground-breaking, successful litigation and policy work around the country."
- Social Welfare History Archives"The Social Welfare History Archives has acquired over 300 collections, each of which—with the exception of a small number of special collections—falls into one of two main categories:
Organizational records of national social service associations, professional social work organizations, and prominent specialized service organizations and
Personal papers of leaders and other individuals involved in the field." - Social Welfare History Project"Pioneering social worker John E. (Jack) Hansan, Ph.D., launched the Social Welfare History Project in 2010. Recognizing the power of the World Wide Web as an information-sharing platform, Hansan created the site to help the public understand and appreciate the history of social reform and social welfare services that have strengthened the fabric of American society."
- Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality"The Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality is committed to providing research, policy analysis, and training on issues of poverty and inequality."
- Urban Institute"The Urban Institute is the trusted source for unbiased, authoritative insights that inform consequential choices about the well-being of people and places in the United States."
- US Department of Health and Human Services"It is the mission of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans. We fulfill that mission by providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services."
- The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)ASPE produces a range of policy research, analysis, and evaluation to strengthen human services programs and policies. Topics include well-being, employment and workforce, child welfare, technical assistance, early childhood care and education, and service delivery systems.
Human Services topics
- Addiction
- Affordable Care Act
- Aging
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Conversion therapy
- Early intervention programs
- Elder abuse
- Family caregiving
- Foster care
- Gender pay gap
- Grief counseling
- Group care
- Human trafficking
- Informal economy
- Interracial adoption
- Intimate partner violence
- Juvenile justice system
- LGBTQIA+
- Mental illness
- Mentoring program
- Nutrition assistance programs
- People experiencing homelessness
- People with disabilities
- Resilience
- Restorative community programs
- Sexual assault; Sexual harassment
- Social justice
- Substance abuse
- Suicide
- Veterans
- Welfare reform
Website Evaluation
While conducting research on the web, it is imperative to evaluate the website in question for authority, documentation, currency, and bias. Doing so will ensure that you are using the most credible information possible to support your thesis.
Authority and Accuracy
Who produced the site? Are they a credible source? What is the purpose of the site? Why was it created? Is the person, organization, or group qualified to write this content? What is the domain of the URL?
- .com or.biz - a business or commercial website
- .edu - an educational institution
- .gov or .mil - a U.S. military or government website
- .net - a personal website
- .org - a website for a not-for-profit organization
Documentation
Is there adequate documentation for factual statements? Is the documentation reliable, verifiable from a second source? Is there enough information to cite this information in a paper (author, title, source, date)?
Currency
Is the information up to date? When was it created, or last edited? Are the links up to date or dead? Is the author using outdated statistics?
Objectivity and Bias
Is the document biased or slanted? Are there few or no logical errors such as appeal to authority or circular reasoning? If you found this information a printed source, would you trust it?