Empowerment Theory In Social Work

As kids, many of us grow up with stories of super heroes and people of greater power that help the helpless. We grow up thinking that only bad things happen in stories where heroic mutants can fix it. As adults, we start to see how messy the world is and wish those super heroes in stories were real. Just like Marvel has their Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the real world has social workers, who act as agents of change. An agent of change in the field of Social Work seeks to improve or restructure parts of the system that could be flawed or in some way harming people’s well-being.

Social work skills, theoretical knowledge and values that has been learnt and obtained through both of my placements has and will continue to be a fundamental component of my emerging social work identity. Work being undertaken, whether that being in a government or non-government organisation, has proven to be at times difficult, as often organisations which state that they provide diversity, social justice and inclusive practice are restricted by funding constraints, hierarchical structures and rigid polices. Personally having had two non-government placements, it has been difficult to be able to first-hand make these comparisons. However, through speaking with peers in my PSAG group and through government agency visits conducted on my previous and current placement, it has reinforced that even though we as social workers are working with such rigid and stricken policies, by using a wide range of practice skills and theoretical knowledge that has been acquired throughout my two

Personal Identity and Managing Personal Values Who I identify as, the groups that I belong to, and the values I have will knowingly and unknowingly attach a level of privilege and power that can and will impact my professional identity and the work I do as a professional. The purpose of this paper is to examine how my identity could impact my work as a social worker, how my personal values conflict with my professional values, and to recall a time when I reduced the participation in oppression. The groups of which I belong can impact my ability to help individuals and communities in a number of ways.

Being a social worker is often a challenging, yet rewarding career. Social workers are responsible for helping individuals, families, and groups of people to cope with problems they’re facing to improve their patients’ lives. Social workers are also trained caseworkers in social service agencies who perform several functions which they use different components of the practice framework, the theoretical underpinnings to in order to build helping relationships. After interviewing a caseworker in a specific social agency there were advantages and disadvantages of methods along with challenges encountered in working in that specific agency. With all of this the functions, roles and responsibilities of a caseworker is what helps any agency to uphold

Anti-oppressive practice is also an approach of work in the social work that gives great emphasis to social change, empowerment, and partnership. Through anti-oppressive practice the problem of the individual is seen in a greater context: the individual, cultural, and societal and structural aspects are taken into consideration in the understanding of the problem and in its potential solutions. (Thompson 2002) developed the PCS model in other to fully grasp the full understanding of the individual, cultural and society which should influence the way social workers work with people of Black and ethnic minority and other oppressed groups. Intervention in the lives of the client should not only take place at the personal level but also cultural and structural in many cases all this level are interwoven. Power and Empowerment

Introduction Integrating theory into social work practice is essential in defining why social work is needed and how to practice it effectively. This paper will discuss two theories; intersectionality and life course theory, as I believe that these two theories are collectively suitable and effective in interrupting the cycle of oppression. I will draw upon both my own experiences and literature to analyze the strengths and limitations of intersectionality and life course theory. This discussion will exemplify how intersectionality and life course theory enhance each other and can work synergistically to inform my social work practice. Intersectionality Intersectionality is a macro theory, which looks at the complexity of an individual’s identity

Macro social work promotes human development and social justice through work with communities and organizations. It comprises of a wide variety of knowledge and skills that enables workers to lead and contribute to highly performing public and private sector organizations that focuses on the critical social issues with diverse population. As such “diverse population is a variety of people which include several characteristic against what one may deem as the norm or majority.” Macro social work is centered on investigation of larger scales to social problems and for the development and implementation of social interventions that aim at effecting positive change at the community, state, and national levels (Birkenmaier and Berg-Weger 2007).

One of the fundamental values in the NASW Code of Ethics is social justice. As social workers we are responsible for promoting social justice and equality. “Social workers should act to expand choice and opportunity for all people, with special regard for vulnerable, disadvantaged, oppressed, and exploited people and groups” (NASW, 2008, 6.04(b)). Restrictive laws such as these illustrate the necessity for social workers to be involved and knowledgeable about current policy and the micro, mezzo, and macro implications they have. For example, as social workers we owe it to our clients to understand how policies and laws impact their access to resources and opportunities such as health care, education, employment and housing.

A) Values and ideology: Describe the values of social work and ideology that you think are most important to your future practice and why you have selected them? The values and ideologies that are most important to my future practice include respect for the inherent dignity and worth of persons, service to humanity and competence in professional practice. First, my value of providing respect for the inherent dignity and worth of persons is important to me and my future practice because it allows me to see the uniqueness in all my clients and subsequent cases. Moreover, it further guides me to allow my clients to be self-determined individuals.

Anti-oppressive theory utilizes user involvement and participation to break down power relations between structures and individuals by: identifying the problem areas, following the five steps outlined in the practice, and presenting service users with tangible plans to immerse themselves in the society (Wilson & Beresford, 2000). Anti-oppressive practice recognizes the structuralist perspective

The article was the “Weick Article,” it made me look at a different perspective when Ann Weick goes on to explain how the true meaning of social work is not just about loving people. It is about helping everyone no matter who it is and making them a better individual for themselves. On page 3, the article states ”The underlying purpose of all social work effort is to release human power in individuals for personal fulfillment and social good”. This makes people who feel like they have no power over situations and

iii. Self-Determination: The autonomy in which an individual makes decisions about his work. iv. Impact: The degree in which an individual can influence strategic, administrative or operating outcomes at work (Ashforth, 1989). Empowerment forms according to Lashley (2001) include; i. Empowerment through participation; this means the delegation of decision-making from management arena, for example, the use of autonomous working groups.

As social work professionals, we have a commitment to advocate for our clients. Because of our advocacy commitment, we also should be committed to social justice. Change cannot happen overnight; however, it also cannot happen if people are not willing to speak up about the things they are passionate about. Additionally, social workers must ensure that they are empowering their clients. As social workers, we should be committed to using a person first approach.

Another thing is, looking at the ten principles, David does not specify which elements are central to empowerment evaluation because those are just principles to describe an approach (I.Donalson, et al., 2010). Additionally, in the discussions on empowerment evaluation, it does become clear which programs, settings or conditions are appropriate for empowerment evalauation simply because the connection between its processes and attainment of social justice or emancipation is undefined (Miller & Cambell,

Women empowerment is a multi-dimensional process involving the transformation of the economical, political, social, psychological and legal circumstances of the powerless, aiming to dismantle cultural, traditional and social norms, which undervalue, disempower and dispossess women. This definition has been reinforced in practice by NGOs’ endeavours to encourage women the develop themselves and contribute more meaningfully to