Social Work Research

Within this essay the areas in which discrimination and oppression occur will be highlighted and then evaluated to show how ‘good’ anti oppressive/ discriminative practice within social work can ‘aid’ and empower service users who are in groups that experience oppression and discrimination to overcome their problems. Gil (1994) states that “the conditions that cause people to seek help from social services are usually direct or indirect consequences of social, economic, and political institutions, and... the profession of social work is ethically committed to promote social justice. Insights into oppression and social

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.

When working in a field of expertise the experts in that area need to know what defines that field. Social work, with its roots over a hundred years old, started out simply offering assistance to others, has grown and changed, and is currently reconnecting with its roots (Bisman, 2004). Bisman (2004) emphasizes the importance of being an advocate of justice and keeping the field focused on the “social” part of social work. This push to keep social work focused on the needs of others defines social work today. Social work focuses on providing aide to the needy and increasing awareness of those that are oppressed.

History serves to educate us about our past and guide the future. As social workers it is important to understand the history of our profession in order to appreciate how the current practices came into being and in turn how our history affects our current practice. To adequately serve the various populations, we must understand the historical oppression and discrimination they faced so we can provide culturally competent service delivery. This essay will compare and contrast the origins of micro and macro social work practice and how they are reflected in modern practice.

“… there are no easy remedies in social work, especially when we are confronted daily with oppression and deprivation…” (Trevithick, 1)

Within the social work that we encounter on a daily basis, anti-oppressive (AOP) practice is generally referred to as the wider term that covers various practices and approaches as structural, radical, feminist, critical, anti-racist and liberating actions. AOP is viewed as a social work practice that attempts to address the structural inequalities and social divisions that is usually experienced in the social work. The ultimate aim of AOP is to provide more appropriate and sensitive services that ensure the social status is not an impediment to them enjoying the social service. AOP is egalitarian in approach and caters for personal philosophy while suppressing the negative effects of the structural weaknesses and inequalities (McGraw, n.d). It is deemed to cater for both the process and the outcome and aimed at reduction of the negative effects of hierarchy that may be experienced in the social work.

This is applied research where a knowledge development objective is the end result (Blanche & Durrheim, 1999: 41).

After I read the article, I had to sit back and digest the material for an entire day. The article force me to do some soul searching regarding my position on power, privilege, and oppression. Have I been so oblivious to my surroundings? I quickly thought about the six core values of social work: service, social justice, dignity and worth, importance of human relationships, integrity, & competence. Will I be able to help others; because like Spencer (2008) I took somethings in life for granted? It was ironic when I was reading the article that Martin Luther King Jr, Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandella came to mine. They all fought for the injustice and sacrificed much to change the minds of the one in the position of power.

The influence of postmodernism, which does not promote one paradigm over another, but focuses on the subjective nature of truth, has helped to alleviate these social issues to some extent. However, concerns surrounding Indigenous models of social care persist today, where modern social work discourse continues to promote the dominance of Western ideals such as scientific reliability and professional autonomy. Thus, social work has the capacity to escalate inequalities by concentrating on aligning clients with societal norms that privilege advantaged groups and worsen the relative condition of the most disadvantaged. Consequently, a crucial task confronting social work is that of deciphering the paradoxical directions surrounding universalism, indigenisation and cultural imperialism. Foucault’s power-knowledge axis offers a useful approach for reflecting on these important social issues.

According to Duffy (2016), there are two different types of social work practice when it comes to working alongside a disadvantaged population. The first kind, is used more often and is called conventional social work approach, which focuses its attention on undertaking assessment and ensuring that individuals are families are received the correct support through organised services and support. On the other hand, critical social work, the less utilized approach aims to challenge the inequalities and oppression in society, by targeting the societal structure via activism and research, in order to bring forth criticism and questions on discourses attached to particular marginalised groups. The author proposes that both social work practices are important, however, critical social work should be emphasized on more frequently, especially with groups such as the ageing population as it targets the stubborn discourses (Duffy, 2016). Mattsson broadens critical social work, by relating it to critical reflection. Critical theorists have proposed critical reflection as a method to understand how social work practices can uphold oppression due to seemingly everyday actions, words and attitudes. Therefore, this can have an implication on how social workers execute their practice, as ordinary and structural features of bureaucratic hierarchies may senselessly abide social workers to uphold and reproduce social oppression, even though they might be well-intentioned. Critical reflection

Jeyapal (2017) in his article “The Evolving Politics of Race and Social Work Activism: A Call across Borders” discusses the need and strategies for social works to reinstate its fight against racism. Jayapal (2017, p45) “Social Work has documented and extended the profession’s commitment to activism. The journal’s focus on activism reflects social work’s evolving focus”. He further states that social movement organizations have presented an outstanding front in fighting against colonialism, racism and other social vices that tags along. On the other hand, social work has not developed its roots in the fight against racism. Since the inception of social work in 1956, it has committed efforts in activism. Through social activism, social workers have championed the role of social justice. Additionally, they have formed allies with revolutionary social groups in a move to mobilize for social reforms. Similarly, the groups have pushed for changes in policy to transform healthcare, child labor, civil rights and to champion women rights. Arguably, social work is a profession that has vested interest in social justice and human rights. Given the political outfits and the role race in shaping the politics if USA, social work is a better tool that can be used to avert the effects of racism among the

A commonality between the two articles is that inequality within agency structures has created a power divide between the majority and minority groups. The gap between groups is not because of an individual or one’s ignorance; it is the result of society’s structure and value system. Cindy Baskin emphasises the importance of needing to examine these structures that have created barriers that oppress groups, such as racism and capitalism. Additionally, June Jing Yee adds that from a Marxist viewpoint domination of racial minority groups were to further the motives of the majority group. In social work practice, explanations of oppression come from exclusionary practices within agency practices. Each book chapter has explained their ideas on

People who have always been marginalized and oppressed by agencies, schools and people, would require special preparation, attention and effort to prove them that they can modify their lives with the intervention of structural social workers. Moreover, it is important to admit that not everyone agrees with the vision of structural social work, therefore, this could be another obstacle to create change in workplaces and public service facilities. Limited access to public services due to discrimination of race, color, sex, gender, religion and language are taken into account as part of the challenges encountered in this process of challenge of structural barriers within society. Finally, I believe that a structural social work vision in a person from a visible minority in society will trigger obstacles for the individual himself. It would be challenging to create change within his/her environment, as many would argue that his/her opinion does not count, making it difficult when challenging structures of oppression for the sake of clients’ well-being and structural social work

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.

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).