Social biases, power and privilege are concepts that are extremely important terms that social workers come face to face with, on a daily basis. Therefore, it is of upmost importance for social workers to obtain a substantial understanding of these terms, as it will greatly assist them when approaching potential clients with a diverse background. This will be further illustrated through defining each of the terms and how they are interrelated; examining how the profession of social work itself comes from a place of white power and privilege and may affect the interaction between social workers and diverse clients; analysing the ways in which the social biases of social workers can differ from those of their clients; investigating how knowledge …show more content…
Although power and privilege are one way in which social biases are influenced and formed, there are many other ways in which social biases can be formed. Social biases can be influenced by things like cultural background, social positioning, personal experiences and values and powerful forces like the media, which hold a significant amount of influential power (CPTC 2013). It is important for social workers to acknowledge how social biases are formed, because by obtaining this prior knowledge, social workers can understand the need to put their own social biases aside when engaging with clients of a different background, because their personal social biases could surface and result in unintentionally offending the client. With this being said, it is important for social workers to keep in mind that their clients will also have their own personal social biases, which could affect their ability to work with social workers cooperatively. For example, social biases can result in things like social exclusion, bullying and unemployment, due to being denied work because of the culture they are a part of. Therefore, although social workers might potentially see themselves as normal middle class working citizens, to a person experiencing poverty due …show more content…
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) defines cultural competence as, “a process where individuals and systems respond respectively and effectively to people of all cultures, languages, races and other diversity factors in a manner that recognises and values the worth of individuals, families and communities; therefore, protecting and preserving the dignity of each (NASW 2003).” In order to exercise cultural competence, it is important for social workers to be aware of the various social biases surrounding particular cultures and cultural practices. For example, some people perceive particular cultural practices and values as ones that, “subjugate women, oppress people based on their sexual orientation and value the use of corporal punishment (NASW 2003).” Another example that can be used to illustrate some of the social biases formed around different cultures is the burka, which can be perceived as a cultural practice that oppresses women and places men in an overpowering position. However, Muslims perceive the burka as a symbol of religious obligation that they abide by as a form of respect to their religion and culture, rather than a symbol of oppression. This example illustrates how some social biases can position particular religious customs and practices in a negative light; therefore, social
Social workers play a pivotal role helping one achieve social justice. “As such, the social justice mandate of the social work profession may be regarded as an ethical obligation to ensure that all persons have an equal right to access societal resources and opportunities so that they may fully participate in and be contributing members of society” (DuBois 136). Everyone deserves to live in a fair and equal society however, in the movie Selma portraying the years 1964-1965, this wasn’t how the American society lived. Despite segregation slowly coming to an end, racism was still a huge issue as blacks were denied the right to vote. This is where social workers step in: social injustice and inequality.
In social work profession, it is notably important that a practitioner be able recognize aspects of their decision making that may be motivated by uncontrollable circumstances such as past experiences, family values, and personal values. Uncontrollable circumstances, such as the examples listed above, all attribute to personal biases a practitioner may display when working with individuals, groups, families, or communities. A personal bias is the negative or positive perspective or demeanor, both knowingly and unknowingly, of any particular individual, or group of individuals, based on different diversity factors that may skew the way that an individual interacts or perceives an individual or group (Miller, Cahn, Anderson-Nathe, Cause, Bender, 2013). Therefore, as a social worker, the importance of practicing self-awareness is that it helps the practitioner to shuffle through personal biases, and in return, aid in social justice and be effectively responsive to diversity factors in the practice setting (Bender, Negi, Fowler, 2010).
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 of 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 final point “Social workers should obtain education” in order to understand cultural diversity and oppression in people (NASW, 2008, p. 9).
These professionals have to keep an open mind with the people they are working with and trying to help in order to have a positive influence on their lives. If they keep a closed and secure mind on those that are different from you, you will not be able to help them to your best ability. Also having a judge free zone helps to interact with clients in an effective way because it allows the client to feel comfortable and will be willing to receive the help that is to come. Race impacts the way that social workers because, “the client may experience this socially as isolation or psychologically as shame and alienation” (pg. 53), therefore, the professional must keep an open mind in helping others who are feeling this way. If they begin to look down on the clients based on their race or even begin to stereotype them, the client may see this as normal and that change is impossible. Social workers cannot discriminate, oppress, or be prejudiced toward their clients because they are there to get help and not to be criticized by someone who is there to help them. Social workers should also ignore the “stereotype of overly aggressive, cynical verbal behavior, commonly associated with many minorities” (pg. 53), since this is not allowing the client to feel like they have the power to change and get the help they need in order to succeed. All the problems and issues that come along with race have to be looked past when it comes to social workers and other human services, all of the clients should be treated equal no matter the tone of their skin or their facial
It does not matter what nationality, place of residence, sex, ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status the person is, everyone should be treated equally (United Nations human rights office of the high commissioner [OHCHR], 1996). There is an international human rights law that protects human beings against the government and that limits the government’s power on their people. Human rights are protected by the law to protect people or groups against any type of discriminations. There are different organizations that promote and protect human rights. Social workers should also protect and fight for their clients’ human rights. It’s important for social workers to be knowledgeable about human rights so they can be able to advocate for their clients. Social workers should also teach their clients about human rights and how all human beings are entitled to their human rights. All human beings should be aware and knowledgeable about their human rights and social workers can be
The National Association of Social Workers, NASW, considers the following as its six most core values; service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. The value of service is considered to be a core value because offering help to those in need is a crucial goal for all of those looking to practice in the field of Social Work. These services can include, but are not limited to, addressing social problems, helping those in need, and volunteering their knowledge to those who cannot otherwise afford such help. Social Justice is also an important core value for a Social Worker to develop. As a Social Worker one will encounter many people from several different walks of life, no two cases will ever be exactly the same. Some of these walks of life can leave a client vulnerable, defenseless, exploited, oppressed, and troubled. Therefore it is important to learn what Social Justice is, and how to help people from falling victim to injustice. Dignity and Worth of the Person is one of the most important values that one should uphold. People who need the help of a Social Worker many, but not all, times feel powerless, embarrassed, and worthless because they feel as though they cannot control aspects of their life an...
In the story, A Social Worker’s Reflection on Power, Privilege, and Oppression, Michael S. Spencer touches on some very important details when it comes to oppression, power, and privilege of different groups. The impacted groups can include those made up of people who are racially diverse, those who are a different gender or those who are part of the LGBT community. (Spencer) Each of these groups can experience oppression in different ways. When it comes to people with a different color
The value of service involves the social worker placing the needs of the client above personal interests. The social worker accesses their knowledge base to assist clients and engage in social problems to evoke change. Additionally, social workers are expected to be philanthropists by allocating time to pro-bono work. It is expected that such contributions are categorized as volunteerism and does not include the service provided in the professional setting where there are earnings involved. Social justice lies at the foundation of social work. Social workers continuously strive to advocate for vulnerable and disenfranchised clients facing oppression and social injustice. They exhibit efforts in the name of social change in arenas of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, amongst others. Social workers seek to continuously educate themselves on cultural diversity as well as connecting client’s with necessary resources to improve the quality of their lives and empower them to sustain lasting change (Reamer,
In today’s society where an abundance of resources exists, social workers are often the entry point for people to access services. Therefore, it is imperative for social worker professionals to have a clear understanding of themselves in relation to the client from a cultural perspective. While the social work profession has always focused on social justice and oppression, it wasn’t until the civil rights movement that there was a conscious shift in the social work pedagogy to focus the social service practice on race, racism, and training the workforce in cultural competences. Later in the mid 1980’s, the tone of cultural competence would shift from race and racism to a more inclusive language, which includes a more robust list of all types
Social justice is a core value in the social work field. We define social justice as, “all citizens would possess equal fundamental rights, protection, opportunities, obligations and social benefits (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2015, p. 29). Unfortunately, we understand there are many members in today’s society that are not receiving social justice. Some may not want help and believe that s/he is able to do it on their own and then there are the individuals that we may not know about that could really use our help. Our jobs as social workers is to help those who need help no matter if they are rich, poor, disabled, white, Hispanic, it does not matter because everyone should be treated equally. As NASW states, “The original mission of social work had much to do with championing the rights of society’s most vulnerable members, from children to homeless people to the physically disabled” (NASW: National Association of Social Workers, 2015, para. 1).
It is imperative that social workers become knowledgeable about their clients’ cultures and are culturally sensitive. In learning about their clients’ cultures, social workers need to be aware of how powerful and significant culture is in relating to clients’ behavior, values, and beliefs. Becoming culturally competent requires the ability to integrate awareness, knowledge, and skills while maintaining a positive working relationship with the client (Sue and Zane, 1987). Today, the concerns regarding cultural competency continue to accentuate the importance of preparing social workers for a diversified society.
Among an array of Values from The Code of Ethics (TCE) of social work Value 1 dictates that as social workers we must respect the dignity of our clients and refrain from passing judgement onto them (Canadian Association of Social Work, 2005, pg.7). As a social worker, it is important to follow this value as it prevents the distancing of the client from the worker as the client will have a better chance of opening up to someone who does not instantly tell them what to do or reprimand them for their actions or non-action in their lives. Oppression relates to the TCE in that it says the social work profession’s main purpose is to raise their clients who are vulnerable, oppressed and/or living in poverty (CASW, 2005, pg.7). Taking this into account
When they are in need we must do everything in our power to make a change. Sometimes this involve advocating for them to see a change in social problems. The definition of a social worker states that they are trained person that carries out work with the aim of alleviating conditions of those in need (12). This often calls the need for social justice. After learning about social workers throughout history, I realize there’s multiple ways to help those in need (11). They’ve been able to implement social welfare for the public.
Social workers challenge social injustice. Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. The meaning of this value is to ensure that individuals going into the social work profession pursue change, most importantly with, on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals, and with groups of people. Additionally, this social work value forces social workers to constantly affect social change primarily focused upon issues of poverty, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice by creating activities that seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic
A) Social workers “promote social change...the empowerment and liberation of people” (International federation Of Social Workers 2014, para 1);