In an ideal world, social work is activism. It is to advocate for marginalized individuals as agents of social change and restructuring policies and systems that support individuals. However, our contemporary society is not as easy and black and white. There are often grey areas that can result to conflict and confusion even within community service work which is why it is vital to listen to stories, experiences and thoughts of other to enrich and expand our own understandings. As social workers and activists inevitably work alongside each other, it is crucial to deconstruct the dividing factors as both practice can be beneficial from each other to reach the ultimate goal in the construction of a just society. 1. Why did you select this article? What had initially drawn me to this article was the title that affirms to unpack connections and contradictions in social work. Connecting the title with my personal experiences as a student from sitting through countless social work lectures, I have discovered that many …show more content…
I have always interpreted that social work is a form of activism in advocating for those who are marginalized rather than as a separate entity. Reading through the thoughts of participants and their perspective confused me with the role of social work if it was without activism. I kept having afterthoughts while reading through the participants viewpoints until I reached the author's statement of how they had situated themselves in this topic. Through reflecting on the author’s comment regarding the reflexive pursuit in allowing more room for multiple frameworks to coexist, similarly, I wanted to place back my opinions/ assumptions and hear the participant’s voices. As a result, I was able to thoroughly grasp the context in what was written and recognize the opinions of the participants concerning the disparity of social work and activist
Morales, A., Sheafor, B. W., & Scott, M. E. (2012). Social work: a profession of many faces. (12th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
This class, Social Work Theory & Practice was made to be able to introduce me to social work theories, ideas, and skills needed to work in the social work profession. This class main tool used was a book called A Brief Introduction of Social Work Theory by David Howe which discusses social work theories in a compressive and explainable way. This class is important to my higher learning because it break down the theories that I will need to use during my practice and a...
In his 1995 article, Andrew Abbott explores his evolving conception of the social work profession. As we approach the new millennium, Abbott's conception becomes strikingly relevant. In brief review, Abbott's first notion posits that social work is a profession of interstitiality. In this context, social workers translate and mediate between collogues in highly technical professions and their own social work clients. Abbott refers to this relationship as a "social work of boundaries" (Abbott, 1995).
This writer felt this section was important to highlight because social workers are agents of the state and are often the middlemen between change and action but sometimes do not recognize their power or feel that change is gradual and do not advocate for ideas because they may be seen as extreme. Mr. Lewis seemed to understand that social workers work for the government and for the oppressed and that they guide how much change occurs and in what timeframe. This excerpt seemed like the ultimate call to action for social workers, a call to action that this writer feels has been lost at the Masters level of social work
To provide effective social services, a social work graduate must possess a multitude of knowledge, skills and abilities. This will be a reflective paper on everything that I know for sure as a student of social work who is about to go into the world of work.
The National Association of Social Workers, NASW, considers the following as its six most core values; service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. The value of service is considered to be a core value because offering help to those in need is a crucial goal for all of those looking to practice in the field of Social Work. These services can include, but are not limited to, addressing social problems, helping those in need, and volunteering their knowledge to those who cannot otherwise afford such help. Social Justice is also an important core value for a Social Worker to develop. As a Social Worker one will encounter many people from several different walks of life, no two cases will ever be exactly the same. Some of these walks of life can leave a client vulnerable, defenseless, exploited, oppressed, and troubled. Therefore it is important to learn what Social Justice is, and how to help people from falling victim to injustice. Dignity and Worth of the Person is one of the most important values that one should uphold. People who need the help of a Social Worker many, but not all, times feel powerless, embarrassed, and worthless because they feel as though they cannot control aspects of their life an...
As a social worker, I have never interrogated my theoretical orientation, in part because I considered that common sense, agency´s directions, and social policies guided social work interventions. In fact, Mullaly (2010) discusses that social workers do not see the relation between theory and practice, and social work is perceived as a performance of practical duties. This was my perception until now, in particular, because I have been analyzing anti-oppressive principles and I realized that my experience has many nuances of those principles. Therefore, my past interventions have some commonalities with the anti-oppressive perspective, and then some strengths and limitations compared to the Canadian social work. (1) One of these strengths is empowerment. Power is an important element of
Learning about social workers and their required tasks, has made me realize how hard it would be to listen to peoples’ traumatic experiences and not feel completely overwhelmed. However, in the end, the work would be worth the anguish because of the complete satisfaction of helping to save peoples’ lives. Despite all of the violence and hatred that goes on, there are people, like social workers, who are there to make the difference the world needs.
Wilson, K. et. al., 2011. Social Work ' Introduction to Contemporary Practice'. 2nd ed. Essex, England.: Pearson Education Ltd .
This is why social workers must also be critical thinkers. Critical thinking applied to the social work profession involves “the ability to define an issue, stressor, or problem; to distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge to formulate a tentative practice direction” (Gitterman & Knight, 2013). Theories, as well as research, “about phases of individual, family and group development; about ethical, racial, religious, spiritual, and sexual identity development; and about individual, family, and group development” provide social workers with a basic starting point for a more complex and situational-based intervention plan that will later be developed. In social work practice, intervention plans and assessments are not blindly developed, but rather based off theory and research. Therefore, although social work is a profession of artistry and creativity; it is also a scientific profession enhanced by the use of theory and
When they are in need we must do everything in our power to make a change. Sometimes this involve advocating for them to see a change in social problems. The definition of a social worker states that they are trained person that carries out work with the aim of alleviating conditions of those in need (12). This often calls the need for social justice. After learning about social workers throughout history, I realize there’s multiple ways to help those in need (11). They’ve been able to implement social welfare for the public.
DuBois, B., & Miley, K. K. (2014). Social work: an empowering profession (Eighth ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Social workers challenge social injustice. Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. The meaning of this value is to ensure that individuals going into the social work profession pursue change, most importantly with, on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals, and with groups of people. Additionally, this social work value forces social workers to constantly affect social change primarily focused upon issues of poverty, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice by creating activities that seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic
The social work profession is defined as “a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people (ISFW, ‘Global Definition of Social Work’, 2016).” The definition may be true about the profession but it is more in depth than just that. To me, the profession’s primary focus is to help others through life as much as we can while letting them make their own choices and guiding them. In society, social workers are utilized in many different nonprofit and government roles. They serve the community in many different ways from monitoring parent visits to helping people through mental illnesses. Human beings are so complex and things that happen
The work of a social worker is complex and all encompassing. Social workers work in many capacities seeking justice, liberation, and equality. There work is global, as they work to put policies in place to govern practices. To keep up with societal shifts and generational changes there learning is continuous. As new questions rise so does the need for the continuation of research, not only to answer these questions but to implement into