Just Practice Chapter Summary

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.

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.

How We Got Over is book full of selected speeches vocalized by Dr. John A. Peoples, Jr., a former President of Jackson State University. The selected speeches cover topics centered around African-Americans, specifically African-American education. Most of the speeches, compiled in the book by Dr. John A. Peoples, Jr. himself, are from his Jackson State University Founders’ Day speeches. The speeches are arranged chronologically, and some of the speeches are given discrete introductions “to elucidate the concern, purpose, or problem being addressed” (Peoples ix). The book’s title is a little misleading because one underlying theme of the entire book is that the struggles for African-Americans are not over.

Garthwait, C. L. (2014). The Social Work Practicum: A Guide and Workbook for Students (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

‘Anti-Oppressive Practice’- is an umbrella term that encircles radical, structural, critical, feminist, liberal, anti-racist framework practice approaches. But it is not limited within those approaches. Anti-Oppressive social work is a practice represents the theories and approaches of social justice.

As students in the social work program, we believe in fighting for social justice. In doing so, we must be cognizant of the oppression that fighting for social

One of the strengths of this syllabus is the learning outcomes of the course based on the educational policy and accreditation standards [EPAs] of the Council of Social Work Education [CSWE]. The presentation of EPAs competencies, which implicates what students will be able to do if they complete the course successfully, helps construct students’ perception of the course’s purpose in the preparation for their future as social workers. The syllabus also does a good job when connecting social work core competencies with practice behaviors and related assignments. In short, at the first two pages, the syllabus would help students perceive clearly the objectives and expectations they could set up for themselves during the

During this practicum at the Durham Children 's Aid Society (CAS), I have taken advantage of numerous learning opportunities to develop skills and enhance my social work practice. These assignments align with the goals and tasks outlined with in my Learning Agreement and relate to the organizational, community, social work, and professional contexts of practice. This summary will highlight how I have met each of these key learning outcomes.

The implications for social work from this evaluation of this program is that it is a way to help social workers empower the clients to take care of themselves. Social workers are largely concerned with empowering people to be the one in control of their own development (Sogren, Jones, Nathaniel, & Cameron-Padmore, 2012). Because this program is built on education and knowledge it is empowering in and of itself, but when workers are able to build upon the knowledge with therapy they empower the client even more than the class alone (Sogren, M., Jones, A., Nathaniel, K., & Cameron-Padmore, J.

Theory is a journey to uncover the past and improve the future. By uncovering and analyzing a discipline’s theoretical journey, insight and self-awareness are gained. According to Meleis (2012), “Theories are reservoirs in which related knowledge is articulated and organized into meaningful wholes” (p.33). By implementing and analyzing theories, empowerment and guidance for the future is obtained.

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a national association of educational programs and individuals that confirms and improves the quality of social work education to become a professional job. CSWE puts in a countless amount of effort to strive for this mission by setting up a bachelor's and master’s degree programs in social work. On the other hand, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with approximately 132,000 members. To be more specific, NASW has a determination to intensify the maturity and developmental process of its members. The main goal is to retain professional standards and to create fair social policies. NASW progresses

For this reflective journal, I have decided to draw parallels between approaches to social work that I have learned in my placement, and what I have learned during my academic career at Carleton University. Placement thus far, has been an eye-opening and rich experience, which has taught me about the profession that I aspire to be a part of. I am a third year student, and much of my time spent at Carleton, has been studying theories, and becoming exposed to different schools of thought. Theories are incredibly beneficial, to teach and inform the practice of the next generation of social workers. However, placement has provided me with the opportunity to apply theoretical ideals, to real life social work practice.

Theory delivers an instrument or idea to understand a specific theme, and provides tangible enlightenment for it. The real-world application of theory can be done only with the assistance of the understanding provided by the theory. Theory can be verified only by how it applies practically to the hypothesized ideas, explanations and variables that require examination. This can be accomplished through how it is applied. Consequently, the two terms of research and theory are interlinked, and there is a shared association between both theory and its application.

This assignment is going to look into observation as a social work tool and skill. Firstly, it is going to briefly describe the observation. Secondly it will analyse the interactions using a reflective approach. And finally, it will look into some relevant social work skills and values that relate to the discussed topic.