Mike O’Brien‘s ‘Social justice: alive and well (partly) in social work practice?’ addresses that the objective of social justice and social change as the foundation or essence of Social Work has been lost. That the connection between social work and social justice is weak. O’Brien acknowledges that there is extensive academic literature debating that within social work practice the fight for social justice is dying and ‘managerially managed’ activities based solely around the needs of individuals and families is the norm. Focus on therapeutic interventions and professionalism have separated the identity of a client from their social setting and disregards the bearing of globalisation. O’Brien (2010) analyses this notion and draws stimulus …show more content…
O’Brien quotes Lundy who describes it as the “duality of the personal and the social” There were some examples of the pursuit of social justice within agencies and committees and to an even smaller degree toward policy the majority of social justice can be seen their clients lives. Practice is aimed toward socially just outcomes for clients (individuals and families) on a micro level. Social work practice falls behind when “impacting on and affecting social economic and cultural structures which create and sustain injustice” (O’Brien 2010 p 185) O’Brien clarifies that this is not a criticism of SW practice and the positive difference practitioners make, but a reminder and encouragement for SW to not only pursue socially just outcomes for their clients but how they can ‘translate and utilize’ that knowledge for social change (O’Brien …show more content…
Yip (2004) who argues that when practicing SW internationally, ethics need to move away from written documents and need to be workable in what he describes a ‘dynamic exchange between cultures’. Hugman parallels Yip’s ideas with Healy (2007) who explores the concept that the way in which social work’s guiding documents are written are ‘insufficiently sensitive to different cultures’ 119. Cultural context must be considered and reflected upon when practicing social work and Hugman suggests that this way of thinking can result in two differing viewpoints. Ethical relativism – the concept that the only way one can make judgements is within appropriate cultural context and Ethical Pluralism- which acknowledges the differences between cultures but still stands by the basis of what is and is not tolerable. Considering both articles including the examination of a case study that highlights the differing implications of social work values as a product of Western Society in a micro example of domestic violence. Applying the notions of both articles and reflecting on his own experience. Hugman is lead to a provisional statement that some human rights and values can be agreed on across cultures. Hugman’s article forces the reader to examine our own ethical conditioning and how we are to adapt this to culturally inclusive practice. In his own words ‘to respond to cultural diversity without having to move to a relativist position in which, social
It shows that professional values and personal morals do not always have to clash. These values can be used concurrently to provide better services to clients as a social worker. A lot of these professional values practitioners follow are extracted from morally and ethically accepted practices which means they go hand in hand with many personal standards which are also mainly tailored in accordance to moral and ethical beliefs and practices. They all focus on treating every individual equally and fairly and putting the client’s interests first just as the ethical standards
The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) Code of Ethics (2010) proposes three core values of Social Work, respect for persons, social justice and professional integrity (pp.12). These core values establish “ethical responsibilities” for the social worker (AASW, 2010, pp.12), specifically, the value of respect for persons, which sustains the intrinsic worth of all human beings as well as the right to wellbeing and self determination consistent with others in society (AASW, 2010,p.12). This Code of Ethics stipulates the duty of care a social worker must provide, a...
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...
Today there are institutional review boards that are designated to approve and monitor research studies to ensure ethical standards are being met (Dudley, 2011, p. 45). As social work practice becomes more evidence-based, the worker will have an increased obligation to advocate for conducting and consuming research that aligns with ethical standards. A practicing social worker can help ensure the ethical treatment of their clients by empowering them to take an active role in their treatment decisions and goals. Three important mandates of the Council on Social Work Education that are directly relevant to research are adhering to the values and ethics of social work, promoting an understanding and commitment to diversity, and promoting human rights and social and economic justice (Dudley,
As a part of the National Association of Social Workers, social workers may face different kinds of ethical dilemmas in their scope of practice. The code of ethics is put in place so that these professionals may be able to act wisely and make the most suitable and appropriate decisions thereby positively benefitting the client likewise themselves. An ethical dilemma is a conflict between two or more ethical principles. These ethical principles aim to provide beneficense, least harm, respect for autonomy, and provide justice. I will discuss three ethical dilemmas affecting human rights in social work.
In the National Association for Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, there are many standards a social worker should uphold in order to promote a healthy and helpful relationship with the client. One such aptitude is Cultural Competence and Social Diversity, which is in section 1.05 of the NASW code of ethics (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). There are three sections associated with this competency “Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths of all cultures”. It is assumed that “social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients’ cultures and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive to clients”. As a final point “Social workers should obtain education” in order to understand cultural diversity and oppression in people (NASW, 2008, p. 9).
Social justice is a core value in the social work field. We define social justice as, “all citizens would possess equal fundamental rights, protection, opportunities, obligations and social benefits (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2015, p. 29). Unfortunately, we understand there are many members in today’s society that are not receiving social justice. Some may not want help and believe that s/he is able to do it on their own and then there are the individuals that we may not know about that could really use our help. Our jobs as social workers is to help those who need help no matter if they are rich, poor, disabled, white, Hispanic, it does not matter because everyone should be treated equally. As NASW states, “The original mission of social work had much to do with championing the rights of society’s most vulnerable members, from children to homeless people to the physically disabled” (NASW: National Association of Social Workers, 2015, para. 1).
Among an array of Values from The Code of Ethics (TCE) of social work Value 1 dictates that as social workers we must respect the dignity of our clients and refrain from passing judgement onto them (Canadian Association of Social Work, 2005, pg.7). As a social worker, it is important to follow this value as it prevents the distancing of the client from the worker as the client will have a better chance of opening up to someone who does not instantly tell them what to do or reprimand them for their actions or non-action in their lives. Oppression relates to the TCE in that it says the social work profession’s main purpose is to raise their clients who are vulnerable, oppressed and/or living in poverty (CASW, 2005, pg.7). Taking this into account
Social work practice is a profession where it works alongside the ‘code of ethics’, these consist of formal statements which represent values of the professional community. The national associations such as Britain state the core values within this field are human dignity and worth, social justice, service to humanity (human rights), integrity and competence. The professional field is regulated by the ‘British Association of Social Work’ (BASW). The core values within social work are huma...
Social Justice is about making society function better – providing the support and tools to help turn lives around. This is a challenging new approach to dealing with poverty in all its forms. It is not about income poverty alone.(SJS) Throughout this essay I will explore why Poverty is a primary issue when striving for Social Justice and how, we as professionals, can attempt to overcome this by working together to achieve a fairer more just society. Social Work, Primary Education and Community Learning and Development are working together collaboratively to achieve Social Justice. I will discuss the changes that have taken place in our professions and the guidelines and regulations that we must adhere to. In addition to this I will examine the positive and negative outcomes of my group experience working together with CLD, Social Work and Education Students. I will also address the historical perspective in addition to the philosophical perspectives.
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.
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
Globalization has had a significant effect on social work practice, changing service delivery, and creating new social problems for practitioners to address. International events are affecting clients’ economic well-being. Migration is bringing more immigrants into the social service system. Social workers are obligated to uphold a core set of values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, and the importance of human relationships which are the foundation our Code of Ethics is built on. In this paper, I will be discussing the core concepts of social work, migration and its effects on social work practice, and how social work has global thinking at its core.
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