A Brief Note On The Treaty Of Waitangi Essay

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.

Ludbrook highlights that the code of ethics of the association of child and adolescent psychotherapists includes a broad requirement that “its members do not abuse their position by taking advantage of clients for purposes of personal, institutional, political, financial or sexual gain.” (Ludbrook, 2012, p77). The Code of Health and Disability Support Services Consumers’ Rights 1996 outlines that all clients have a right to be respected in relation to their ethnicity, religious values, gender, and cultural differences. When counselling Māori children or young people, then the counsellor must uphold the principles within the treaty of Waitangi. Ludbrook emphasises that in order for counsellors to effectively provide bicultural practice, they must have an understanding of Māori language, traditions and cultural values. (Ludbrook, 2012, p78).

In Seeking Mino-Pimatisiwin: An Aboriginal Approach to Healing, Michael Hart discusses the interaction between social work and Aboriginal people. He notes that, traditionally, social work and psychology have taken a very Euro-centric approach, which has disenfranchised Aboriginal people. He discusses how Aboriginal concepts can be incorporated into social work techniques in order to be inclusive, rather than exclusive, of Aboriginal people. He focuses specifically on the sharing circle as a way of using Aboriginal techniques in the counseling context.

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 National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has written a code of ethics that serves many purposes. The main purpose is to identify the core ethics and values that provide the foundation for the profession. It details six basic principles for social workers to follow: service, social justice, dignity and worth, human relationships, integrity, and competence (National Association of Social Workers, 1999). The code acts as an ethical guide for students, and those professionals just

The nature of this profession causes many complex ethnic issues to arise. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW)'s Code of Ethics guides Social Workers how to respond in such scenarios. I understand the ethnical decisions I will make as a social worker, are to reflect the core values and standards described by NASW Code of Ethics. It is important to have a foundation of ethnical beliefs set in place before constructing a life-altering decision for a client. I recognize my own ideals have sovereignty over my personal life, but in the field of social work it is important I uphold the values complied by NASW.

This policy has many principles that social workers are obliged to, in order to inform and guide ethical practice. One principle specifically that relates to Aileen’s case is section 3.2 stating that, “social justice is a core obligation which societies should be called upon to uphold. Societies should strive to afford protection and provide maximum benefit for all their members” (AAWS, 2010). In addition, the AAWS Code of Ethics elaborates on the principle of social justice requiring all social work professionals to; promote social fairness by reducing barriers with special regard for those who are vulnerable or oppressed, advocate for and fight against inequalities and injustice, and work to eliminate all violations of human rights (AAWS, 2010). Relating back to Aileen’s case, if these principles within the policy of the AAWS Code of ethics were to be implemented and operated on all levels including the micro, messo and macro levels, will create a platform and equal opportunity for equitable and socially just outcomes to be achieved in all

The ethical principle set forth by the NASW states “social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person (NASW, 2008).” The social worker in this case has a duty to treat the clients respectfully and be mindful of individual differences, culture, and ethnic diversity. As the social worker, it was imperative that I work with Stephanie to build upon her capacities and seek ways to guide her to be capable to address her own needs.

Beyond undermining the importance of Indigenous world-views, this also justified a normative environment that further marginalised culturally diverse populations. It is against this background that cultural relativists would argue that, in its attempt to extend universalism, social work is a form of cultural imperialism, dependent on the disqualification of competing ‘false’ knowledges by the hegemonic assertion of Western social work knowledge as universal ‘truth’.

Hence, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spirituality is defined as at the core of their being and identity Grant (cited in Muller, 2014). It originates from the deep sense of belonging to one’s country, and it gives meaning to all aspects of life, including relationship with one another (Poroch et al., 2009). Country “refers to everything, including land, air, water, stories of ‘dreaming’, being dynamic and multilayer, forming rules, norms and beliefs of existence between species and humans and ancestral beliefs” (Kingsley Townsend, Hender-Wilson & Bolam, p.683). Past policies and colonisation have displacement many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People from the connection to their country, language, culture, communities which has created social and health inequalities Gee et al (cited in Dudgeon et al, 2014). In addition has caused significant distress, powerless, integrational grief and trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People to this day (Kingsley et al., 2013). Therefore the service delivery should aim to incorporate a holistic approach in addressing social-emotional wellbeing, as it knowledge’s the psychological distress impacted by colonisation (AIHW, 2009). Also, it addresses the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People meaning of health by providing services for social, emotional, spirituality and physical (NACCHO, 2016). Thus by providing a

Part of this is culturally appropriate introductions, I will explain where I am from and why I am there, there needs to be a genuine sharing of both my professional and personal identity (Bennett et al., 2013). Bennett, Zubzycki and Bacon (2011) “you don’t build relationships with people just because it’s the nice thing to do, it’s actually the only way to work” (p. 27). Previously, service providers have been ethnocentric in their practice and have lacked clear cultural knowledge this has resulted in social workers being met with “wariness, distrust and cynicism” when entering Indigenous communities (Bennett et al., 2013, p. 2). I will explain my understanding of the historical and contemporary mistreatment and how I do not want that to continue. I will explain that I want to work in a culturally acceptable manner and I am happy for them to let me know if that is not

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 in 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

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.

Cultural safe practice embodies the essential elements of the Treaty of Waitangi which advocates for the principles of partnership, protection and participation within the health system. Based on the principles of partnership nurses should work

In the anti oppressive social work practice, the social worker has to emphasize cultural competency and provide culturally responsive facilities to the clients and recognize diversity and differences as a strength to solve the cause of ethnic, race and other types of oppressions (Danso, 2009).