A Brief Note On Social And Political Action

Social action theories are known as micro theories which take a bottom-up approach to studying society; they look at how individuals within society interact with each other. There are many forms of social action theories, the main ones being symbolic interactionism, phenomenology and ethnomethodology. They are all based on the work of Max Weber, a sociologist, who acknowledged that structural factors can shape our behaviour but individuals do have reasons for their actions. He used this to explain why people behave in the way in which they do within society. Weber saw four types of actions which are commonly committed within society; rational, this includes logical plans which are used to achieve goals, traditional-customary behaviour,

For years, social action theorists have sought out to understand how society operates. Unlike structuralists for example Marxists, action theorists are a micro level approach where they find the study of the individual and their interactions within society more important to our understanding. Action theorists are more voluntaristic, they believe that individuals possess agency where they have the ability to be free agents in themselves and in shaping society.

Social work is based on respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all people as expressed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights(1948) It is therefore of paramount importance that a social work professional should work towards promoting the best interests of individuals and groups in society. I very much recognize the contribution that social work brings to inclusion having worked alongside social workers during the course of my shadowing placement. I possess a real commitment to promote equality which I have had the pleasure of doing in a multitude of different roles. From academic journals as well as my lecture notes I now appreciate the central importance of using the fundamental principles of human rights and equality to underpin my practice, and the inherent need to promote justice in relation with the people I will work.

These days’ different organisations are involved and are influencing the system when dealing with social problems. Firstly, the citizen’s individual’s participation to improve the wellbeing of the community. Secondly, the community they may represent the interest of a group, organisation and / or individuals. Lastly, the government they have the responsibility for legislation, social and economic planning, public policy and program, safety and protection of community members, etc. Government agencies invest and deliver services for the community such as: education and employment opportunities; secure, sustainable housing and infrastructure; and good health and wellbeing across the life course. These diverse services are provided to people across their life span and include: community development; early intervention services; advice and information; crisis support; and ongoing services. (How government works, 2016)

Through Providing leaflets and sufficient information regarding diversity and equality can raise awareness to a social care worker by acquiring adequate knowledge about it. It also helps them to know about the consequences if agreed ways of working are not followed which restrain them from doing any form of discrimination relating this issue.

The NASW Standards for Cultural Competence addresses the standard of empowerment and advocacy, which I find both reassuring and admirable, because, as a social worker becomes more culturally aware of their clients, they need to have the desire to ensure equality for all of them. From the text, social workers become specialists in understanding the effects of demeaning social policies against their clients, where they find the medium between aiding in producing positive change without imposing their own beliefs. Mastery of this standard requires the cohesion between a social worker and client to seek minimal changes in social policies to prove that advocacy imposes change before shifting towards revolutionizes social policies and laws.

The Social Action Theory and Symbolic Interactionism Max Weber believed that individuals were the key to society. He developed social action theory, the purpose of which was to find out why individuals function in certain ways. He thought that every social action performed by an individual had a meaning attached to it. Social actions are the result of conscious thought processes that take into consideration the reactions of other individuals. Weber identified four types of social action which include, reason (an instrumentally rational or calculated action), value or rational action (determined by belief), emotion or effectual action (dependent upon the feelings of the individual), and traditional

The goal of a social worker is to help others in tackling whatever problems they are currently facing and pairing them with the appropriate resources needed so that they can lead a productive and healthy life. A social worker lives by a strong value system that is referred to as social justice. According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), “Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities,” (2015, para. 2). Paul Loeb, author of the book Soul of a Citizen, writes moving stories of ordinary people who inspire others to want to be better citizens. This paper will be a reflection on how the book made me feel, the affect it has had on my formation as a social worker, any experiences I have had in social justice advocacy and what vision I have of myself as a social justice social worker.

Core competency four entails that social workers advocate for human rights and social justice. The first practice behavior is demonstrating necessary skills to change social institutions to be more humane and responsive. I will demonstrate my mastery of this skill through a health promotion activity that I participated regarding preventing the sell of tobacco products to teens. The second practice behavior is identifying weakness in various systems and developing and proposing social policies that promote social justice. I will be illustrating how I mastered this practice behavior through a policy analysis that I wrote on the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

IntroductionThis paper discusses and explores both case studies in order to find the powers and duties a social worker acting in a statutory capacity might exercise in these cases, how might they be exercised and how might wider principles of welfare law impact on their decision making? It also analyses the tensions and dilemmas that may exist, referring to specific legislative provisions, and identify how anti-oppressive practice might influence the resolution of these case studies. It also demonstrates an ability to study relevant law in social work practice and have a critical and analytical understanding of the service delivery standards and powers and duties of social workers, demonstrate a working knowledge and understanding of key

While I was looking for a social action event to attend that involved, adolescence, children, families, and other individuals/professionals, I had a difficult time. Therefore, I reached out to my local town hall and found an opportunity that included each of these individuals to a certain degree. In other words, a few days before the actual event on July 20, 2017, I had been reviewing my town’s website. Granted, I recently had moved to this town over the last six months and never knew there were so many committees and commissions that existed before. To be honest, some of them I had reached out to see how I can become a volunteer or a member of the board. Nonetheless, I was looking and one event that had appealed to me was the event that is titled, “Middletown’s Youth Juvenile Board (MYJB). While I had some thoughts about what this meeting was going to be, I was intrigued so I wanted to learn more about it. Therefore, the next morning I had called to see if it was open to the public and so forth. To my amazement, the receptionist was very happy to share that it was open to the public, the meetings are two hours long, and they are held on the third Thursday of each month, and what the board does for these children and adolescents.

In the beginning of both codes of ethics and statement of principles it gives a clear detail of what the social worker should be doing to furnish help the community. The same ideas are being shared on each separated document but are formatted in a different way. The preamble list six core values service, social justice, dignity and worth of person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence. These values are embraced by social workers throughout the profession’s history and are the foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective. The preface just listed four bullets on how social workers across the world should reflect on the challenges and dilemmas that face them and make morally informed choices about how to react in each different case.

Non-profit organizations do not belong to the commercial sector or the public sector, but occupy an intermediate position. It gives

A not for profit organization is a corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive (Legal, 2013).” There are immense community benefits as a not-for-profit generally accepts everyone regardless of ability to pay. Nonprofit organizations are granted tax-exempt status which helps them to provide services to the public and are expected to be effective managers of their finances as well as being efficient (Financial Management, 2010). In doing so, they can gain exemptions from federal and state incomes taxes and have the ability to solicit tax-deductible contributions (Financial Management, 2010). Organization must follow legal financial

According to AASW (2010), social workers are committed to work with individuals, groups and communities to achieve the equitable access to social, economic, environmental and political resources. As a social work undergraduate, we acknowledge the significant impact of CD through the positive change in the society. Our group through the course of this semester has learnt about the process of community work and community development. They are inter-related and beneficial to the community in which address and meet the needs of members. The progress of