Engagement/Understanding: Social Work (Competency 6)

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Engagement/Understanding (Competency 6).
Youth homelessness is a global social issue that is rapidly increasing. Shelton & Bond (2017) divulged how accurate data on the prevalence of youth homelessness in the United States are significantly lacking. It could be due to the challenges of collecting data and variance in definitions of what constitutes homelessness for youth. Often times there are multiple levels of oppression evident amongst vulnerable individuals. Homeless transgendered youth are susceptible to intersectionality. As stated in Competency 6, it is imperative for the ethical profession of Social Work, to be engaged and understanding of the multitude of social issues that impact individuals. Thus, Social Workers are expected to be agents of change, and it is an professional responsibility to challenge unjust policies, systems, and ideologies on the behalf of marginalized, oppressed, and vulnerable populations.
Shelton & Bond (2017) reiterates how the data on the prevalence of …show more content…

The perspectives from transgender youth is critically missing in many discussion, research, intervention and implementation strategies. Transgender youth, are misunderstood, misrepresented and excluded from conversations, decision making, and policy execution when in actuality they should be involved. Shelton & Bond (2017) elucidates that although there is a growing body of research that examines LGBTQ youth homelessness, gaps in knowledge about the specific experiences of transgender and gender-expansive homeless youth remain. Studies focus largely on transgender youth in the context of the methods and measures in studies. Hence, including transgender youth within research on sexual minorities, rather than allowing them a distinct category of inquiry, can replicate the common misreading of transgender people as

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