Values, Ethics and Anti-Oppressive Practice - Coursework Example

Swarna1 Word count: 4809 P.Swarnalatha ID # 5448 Order # 178755 d 16th August 2007 VALUES, ETHICS AND ANTI-OPPRESSIVE PRACTICE INTRODUCTION Social work is a noble profession which deals with the activities of interacting with the poorly organized and disadvantageous people in different sectors with the objective of helping them in long run. The social work profession mainly results in positive social change in the society (Frederic G. Reamer, 1999). It also helps in problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. It utilizes the theories and principles of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Moreover, principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work. Social work in its various forms certainly focuses on the multiple, complex transactions between people and their environments. Its mission is to enable all people to develop their full potential, enrich their lives, and prevent dysfunction. In other words, social workers act like change agents in society and in the lives of the individuals, families and communities they serve. One would agree at this point of time that social work is an interrelated system of values, theory and practice. SOCIAL WORK One must not forget the fact that social work has derived its methodology which is based on a systematic body of evidence-based knowledge supported with research and practice evaluation (Popple et al., 2002). In this process, it underlines the complexity of interactions between human beings and their environments. Hence a social worker must have sound knowledge on various theories of human development and behavior and social systems to analyze complex situations. This would certainly facilitate individual, organizational, social and cultural changes. In addition, social workers must address the barriers, inequities and injustices that exist in society. They should respond to crises and emergencies as well as to everyday personal and social problems. At the same time, they must focus on variety of skills, techniques, and activities consistent with its holistic focus on persons and their environments. The deeper knowledge of primarily person-focused psychosocial processes and involvement in social policy, planning and development would help the persons who are involved in social work (Carlton-LaNey Iris,. 1999). For example, some processes like counseling, clinical social work, group work, social pedagogical work, and family treatment and therapy would be of tremendous help to the social workers in providing anti-discriminatory practices. One would not under estimate the value of developing knowledge on agency administration and community organization in efficient social service. One must not forget the fact the address of the problems of society must be different from country to country. The social work professionals must try to help the disadvantageous groups of people by providing psychological counseling, guidance, and assistance. The objective of social workers is same for all the different fields. For example, in the public health arena, social workers provide various ways of treatment plans for patients, for locating supportive resources, and facilitate referrals. In both government and non-government public health organizations and institutions, social workers in general, provide behavioral and social assessments along with mental health assessment, treatment, and short-term or ongoing case management. They may also work in the community as planners or community organizers capable of engaging groups of people, neighborhoods, or entire communities to address social problems. One more important thing to be kept in mind is that the professionals who work in social service must possess minimum basic qualification and their licensing should be properly regulated. The final aim of these social work professionals is to help the disadvantaged, distressed, or vulnerable persons or groups. The contribution made by some of the voluntary organizations is noteworthy. Their activities would indirectly lead to increased government responsibility for the welfare of the disadvantaged. Social workers would certainly serve the needs of diversified sections of the society like children and families, the poor or homeless, immigrants, veterans, the mentally ill, the handicapped, victims of rape or domestic violence, and persons dependent on alcohol or drugs. Some great writers also contributed for the development of social work movement. For example, Mary Richmond, author of Social Diagnosis (1917), helped in charity organization movement, while the social settlement movement was facilitated by the work of Jane Addams at Hull-House in Chicago. Some people considered social workers as mediators but not as professionals in early period which social workers took as a challenge and mobilized workers to produce professional literature, organizations, and a code of ethics. There are several challenges to be faced by the social work professionals while dealing with the disadvantageous group of people in different regions. They have to respond to wider historical changes, shifting their attention from environmental reform to individual change, as the nations social climate varies over a period of time (June Hopps and Pauline Collins, 1995). One should not forget the fact that the social workers initially aimed to radically change institutions and disallowed the traditional establishment during the Progressive Era of the 1900s, the depression of the 1930s, and the social unrest of the 1960s. the situation got changed in the later period. In more conservative times, such as the 1920s, 1950s and 1980s, the profession addressed to direct service and individual change. The impact of discrimination had a strong effect on direction of social work. For example, segregation laws barred African Americans from white schools of social work, leading African Americans to create Atlanta University School of Social Work. As there existed a debate over the issue of minimum educational qualifications for social workers tilting, the social workers were required to complete masters-level training. Advanced practitioners with graduate-level training may specialize in areas such as clinical, medical, or school social work, as well as planning and development, aging, mental health, or corrections. There was a major positive development in the field of social service in 1952 when, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) emerged to accredit graduate schools, and by the 1970s, baccalaureate programs were accredited to prepare entry-level professionals. Later in 1955, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) was established adopting a code of ethics, and merging seven previously scattered organizations for psychiatric, medical, and group workers. Similarly in the last quarter of the twentieth century, organizations such as the National Association of Black Social Workers (1968), Latino Social Workers Organization (1992), and North American Association of Christians in Social Work (1954) evolved to address concerns of various groups. Even though commercially social work profession is not well rated by the present generation people on par with the fields of medicine, management and engineering, it has its uniqueness in deriving maximum self satisfaction (Elaine P. Congress, 1999). Moreover, it aids in having maximum positive impact on diversified groups of society. Several basic qualities are expected to be possessed by a social worker to deal with the different sections of the society which are considered to be utmost important. More specifically, a person indulges in social work should have best values and ethics. He must also try to reduce the chances of discrimination and oppressiveness of any stronger group of people on the weaker sections. This in other words demands tremendous amount of patience and moral values from the side of social workers. For example, a social worker who deals with the politically disadvantageous group of people in any region must initially study and analyze the possible negative consequences in terms of the people’s reaction and hence accordingly he should be mentally prepared to tackle them accordingly. For managing such a situation, mere theoretic knowledge of management principles would not be of any considerable help. A person with strong moral values and ethics only can handle the situation effectively and in addition, he rather enjoys his job of social work in spite of several odds because of his dedication to the job which he performs. In this context, one would better look in to some basic aspects of values and ethics which is discussed here. Values are nothing but a set of norms which we ought to follow so that there would be a possibility of a well cultured society. The values would certainly make people more responsible in delivering their job irrespective of the field in which the activities are carried. Especially for social work profession, setting the best values is prerequisite. VALUES Values may be defined as beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment (either for or against something); "he has very conservatives values". They are also believed to be an amount, as of goods, services, or money, considered to be a fair and suitable equivalent for something else; a fair price or return. In other words, values are nothing but principles, standards, or qualities considered worthwhile or desirable. SOCIAL WORK VALUES Social work values are very important as they inculcate the humanitarian and democratic ideals, and they are based on respect for the equality, worth, and dignity of all people. Since its beginnings over a century ago, social work practice has focused on meeting human needs and developing human potential. There is no doubt that human rights and social justice serve as the motivation and justification for social work action. In the process of helping those who are dis-advantaged, the profession strives to alleviate poverty and to liberate vulnerable and oppressed people in order to promote social inclusion. Finally, social work values are embodied in the profession’s national and international codes of ethics. ETHICS Ethics are rather defied as those practices which people should keep in their mind before acting and interacting with others in a society. They emphasize on well mixing with the people irrespective of one’s economic, social and political background. Ethics may also to be viewed as the science of human duty and the body of rules of duty drawn from this science. They are also defined as a particular system of principles and rules concerting duty and are nothing but rules of practice in respect to a single class of human actions. They may be categorized as political or social ethics; medical ethics. THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ETHICS The efficient social service demands good knowledge of theory and practice of ethics. Hence one must try to understand the field of ethics, which is also known as moral philosophy. It involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. The ethical theories are broadly divided into three general subject areas: metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. WHAT IS META ETHICS? Meta ethics researches where our ethical principles come from, and what they mean. It questions whether they are merely social inventions? Do they involve more than expressions of our individual emotions? Finally it focuses on the issues of universal truths, the will of God, the role of reason in ethical judgments, and the meaning of ethical terms themselves. WHAT IS NORMATIVE ETHICS? Normative ethics takes on a more practical task, which is to arrive at moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct. This may involve articulating the good habits that we should acquire, the duties that we should follow, or the consequences of our behavior on others. WHAT IS APPLIED ETHICS? Applied ethics involves examining specific controversial issues, such as abortion, infanticide, animal rights, environmental concerns, homosexuality, capital punishment, or nuclear war. By using the conceptual tools of meta ethics and normative ethics, discussions in applied ethics try to resolve these controversial issues. In several practical situations, the separation of one type of ethics from other type of ethics is really difficult. CASE STUDY Jane works in a College in South London. Her role is to help students with learning disability. During a session with 18 year old Mark, he confesses to Jane that he contracted HIV in the past and that he wasnt sure he should share this information with Laura, his new girlfriend. Mark is scared that Laura will leave him if he tells her about the disease. Mark is convinced that Laura is totally protected against it because he plans to use a condom when they have their first sexual intercourse. Jane tries to explain to Mark that perhaps, he should consider telling Laura about this because condoms sometimes do fail. However, Mark leaves the office, angry, and says that Jane does not understand him and he will never tell Laura anyway. He is very clear about his choice. Jane also knows Laura. Jane has to take care of moral principles and ethics while dealing above mentioned case as it involves the faith and confidentiality. At the same time, the protection of health of Laura is also crucial which can’t be neglected. As Jane is confident that there is a strong chance of transmitting the disease from Mark to Laura even after using condoms she should give primary importance to the health state of Laura and Mark’s privacy also must be protected as part of ethical behavior. Hence the best approach would be to counsel Mark so that he should realize about the possible danger of transmitting the disease to Laura. As Mark loves Laura genuinely, he must be convinced regarding the threat posed to Laura because of his ignorant action. After this counseling, it is highly expected that Laura would not be subjected to the danger as Mark would reveal her every thing in confidentiality. In this way the values or form of confidence of Laura on Mark would be taken care well. Similarly, as mentioned earlier, ethics i.e. practices of a person before interacting with others were also taken care well. The action of Mark to reveal the truth regarding AIDS to Laura reflects the ethical behavior of Mark. In this way, Jane is expected to bring ethics and values in to practice while dealing with practical examples. CODE OF ETHICS Several organizations have been working actively in social care profession and have also formulated some codes of ethics in social work which would be of tremendous help under present context. General social care council 1(GSSC) is one of the most important organization in this direction. Its codes of ethics in social work act like model guidelines for implementing 1: General social care council. What are the codes of practice? http://www.gscc.org.uk/Good+practice+and+conduct/What+are+the+codes+of+practice. codes of ethics by social workers through out the world. They are a critical part of regulating the social care workforce and helping to improve levels of professionalism and public protection. Till now, the GSCC has distributed more than one and a half million copies of the codes to employers and social care workers across England. They build on existing good practice and the shared values of the sector. Many people rely on the honesty, integrity and professional skills of social care workers and these codes spell out the standards people can expect of them. The codes mean that, for the first time, the social care sector will have similar regulation to doctors and nurses. Registered social care workers who breach the codes could be removed from the Social Care Register. Over time, it is expected that employers will introduce code compliance as a contractual requirement for all their staff. If an employer feels an issue brings a workers registration into question, a registered social care worker can be referred to the GSCC, which will investigate and consider whether their case should be heard at a conduct hearing. The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) takes the Code of Practice for Social Care Employers into account when enforcing care standards IFSW (International federation of social workers) also plays a crucial role in formulating and enforcing codes of ethics in social work. It emphasizes on the fact that ethical awareness is a fundamental part of the professional practice of social workers. Their ability and commitment to act ethically is an essential aspect of the quality of the service offered to those who use social work services. The purpose of the work of IFSW 2 on ethics is to promote ethical debate and reflection in the member organizations, among the providers of social work in member countries, as well as in the schools of social work and among social work students. 2: International federation of social workers. Ethics in social work, statement of principles. http://www.ifsw.org/en/p38000398.html. It provides some basic guidance on ethical conduct in social work, which it is expected will be elaborated by the ethical guidance and in various codes and guidelines of the member organizations of IFSW and IASSW. The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilizing theories of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work. Its mode of operations are well in tune with some international conventions like the following. 1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights 2. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 3. The International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights 4. The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination 5. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 6. The Convention on the Rights of the Child 7. Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (ILO convention 169) It emphasizes on human rights and human dignity in the following manner. Promoting the right to participation: Social workers must promote the full involvement and participation of people. Respecting the right to self-determination : Social workers must respect and promote people’s right to make their own choices and decisions, irrespective of their values and life choices. Treating each person as a whole : Social workers must be concerned with the whole person, within the family, community, societal and natural environments. Identifying and developing strengths : Social workers must concentrate on the strengths of all individuals, groups and communities. At the same time, social workers have a responsibility to promote social justice, which requires the following qualities. 1. Recognizing diversity – Social workers must recognize and respect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the societies in which they practice 2. Challenging negative discrimination - Social workers have a responsibility to challenge negative discrimination on the basis of characteristics such as ability, age, culture, political opinions, gender or sex, and socio-economic status. 3. Distributing resources equitably – Social workers must ensure that resources at their disposal are distributed fairly, according to need. 4. Working in solidarity - Social workers have an obligation to challenge social conditions that contribute to social exclusion, stigmatization or subjugation. In this process they work towards an inclusive society. In addition, the social workers are required to be possessing the following qualities in efficiently working towards anti-discrimination activities. 1. Social workers are expected to develop and maintain the required skills and competence to do their job. 2. Social workers must not allow their skills to be used for inhumane purposes, such as torture or terrorism. 3. Social workers must act with integrity. 4. Social workers must act in relation to the people using their services with compassion, empathy and care. 5. Social workers must not subordinate the needs or interests of people who use their services to their own needs or interests. Similarly, the code of conduct and ethics given by British Association of Social Workers (BASW) is also prominent n changing the direction of social work at global level. The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilizing theories of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work (2001) 3. One must not forget the fact that social workers attempt to relieve and prevent hardship and suffering. They have a responsibility to help individuals, families, groups and communities through the provision and operation of appropriate services and by contributing to social planning. 3 : British Association of social workers. http://www.basw.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=64. They work with, on behalf of, or in the interests of people to enable them to deal with personal and social difficulties and obtain essential resources and services. Their work may include, but is not limited to, interpersonal practice, group work, community work, social development, social action, policy development, research, social work education and supervisory and managerial functions in these fields. NATURE OF DISCRIMINATION IN PRESENT SOCIETY AND ANTI DISCRIMINATION ACTION: No doubt, discrimination is present in all the regions of the globe and it is existing in almost all spheres. A study conducted at the request of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has highlighted the different treatment given to job applications according to whether the applicant is a native-born Belgian or a non-native-born Belgian of Moroccan origin. Similarly, European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) report has claimed that there is a disturbing situation in Belgium, and that discrimination on the labour market constitute a major problem. A study from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) has highlighted the segmentation on the Belgian labour market, and finds that whole sectors of the market are closed, particularly to Turkish and Moroccan workers. More importantly, the Centre for Equal Opportunities and the Fight against Racism has found that the unemployment rate among non-native workers is higher than among the Belgian-born population, that non-native workers are underrepresented on vocational training and socio-professional integration programmes, and that differences in pay levels and career paths persist. Belgium example is applicable to all the European countries in general. Hence there should be some anti-discrimiantory measures. The introduction of a broad definition of discrimination will allow a civil law approach, whereby discrimination is no longer seen as a crime, but as a de facto situation that needs to be rectified quickly. The burden of proof has been shifted. In civil law, it will now be for the defending party to prove that it has not committed a discriminatory act; and the introduction of a fast-track, effective civil procedure should reduce the discouragement felt by people and groups suffering discrimination. The most important thing in social work is that any group of people should not be discriminated on any ground. It has a strong support from international organizations like United Nations Organization 4. The right of individuals not to be discriminated against on a range of grounds, including racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, age, disability and sexual orientation, has long been recognized by international organizations, like the United Nations (UN), the European Union and its Member States. Although they do not grant individuals a legally enforceable right to redress, international agreements such as the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1950), exemplify the commitment of the international and European communities to guarantee respect for the right to non-discrimination. 4:http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/policy/policy_en.htm. ANTI-OPPRESSIVE PRACTICE: Anti-discriminatory action can be termed as anti-oppressive action also. Anti-oppressive practice may be defined as a theoretical basis for any type of social work that consists of a variety of perspectivessuch as radical theory, feminist theory and anti-racist theory. The main objective of anti-oppressive practice is to protect the genuine interests of some specific groups of people who have been subjected severe exploitation. As the social service concentrates mainly on uniform treatment for all the diversified sections of the society, anti-oppressive practice or anti-discriminate practice forms the crucial component. At the same time, one should remember that one element of anti-oppressive practice is to ensure that peoples basic rights are not violated (Dalrymple and Burke,1995). This will certainly facilitate efficient social service work which in turn would benefit the community on a whole remarkably. Similarly, oppression or discrimination itself is a powerful force and it may lead to demoralization and lack of self-esteem and denial of basic human rights’. . In this process if not controlled, oppression would lead to selective group development which is not good for uniform development of the society. Citizenship is a basic right of all the human beings and it should be protected at any cost and denial of basic human rights of citizens may be considered as crime and anti-oppressive practice tries to minimize the damage caused by oppression. Thompson (1995) mentioned that oppression or discrimination in general involves disregarding the rights of an individual or group and thus a denial of citizenship’,’ degrading treatment of individuals or groups’. Anti-oppressive practices aid in reducing the discrimination in the name of racism. They will not encourage the practice of racism which is very dangerous for the welfare of the society. Lorde (1984) defines racism as the belief in the inherent superiority of one race over other races and in this process the right to dominance, manifest and implied’. Racial categorization involves not only difference but also implies relations of superiority/inferiority. This on the basis of racism. We should not forget the fact that one of the driving forces of anti-oppressive practice is being able to challenge inequality and realize that challenges are not always successful and may be highly painful both for the person or group being challenged and for those who are challenging. Another crucial aspect of challenging inequality is being self-aware and understanding how your own social location affects the communication between yourself and the individual or group you may be challenging. This is very important point to be considered while practicing social service. One more important thing to be remembered is the process of thinking and reflecting is a core part of working in an anti-oppressive way and hence the following set of challenges would be of tremendous use for people engaged in social work. a : The social worker must be highly flexible without losing focus depending upon the type of situation he is facing at specific period of time. b : The social worker must be well acquainted with theoretical aspects of anti-oppressive law. c : He must include the views of oppressed individuals and groups. d : He must be good at analyzing the oppressive nature of organizational culture and its impact on practice. At this moment it is important for any social worker to understand the basic model that explains the mechanism of discrimination. In other words, they must be well aware about the operation of discrimination. In this context, the thorough understanding of a model developed by Thompson (1997) that explains the different levels on which discrimination operates, commonly known as PCS analysis. The letter P quotes for the personal level, that of thoughts and feelings. This level (P) interacts with other levels like ‘C’ and is influenced by the C level –i.e. culture, that operates within another level i.e. S level, that denotes structure of society. This reflects the fact that each level of discrimination or oppression is interlinked closely. Hence this is a useful model to study and analyze how discrimination against some weaker groups of the society occurs not simply at a personal level, but that discrimination is institutionalized within our society. In short, all the anti-oppressive practices have to be encouraged for the effective social service and for promotion of ethics and values in the human society. CONCLUSION Overall, legislation sends clear signals about what society regards as acceptable or unacceptable as far as social service values and ethics and the some directives form an integral part of the Communitys strategy in changing attitudes and behavior. Nevertheless, it is not sufficient on its own. People should be made well ware about their right of having access to equal opportunities and they should be empowered to fight against the discrimination in any form. That is why the Community established in parallel with the Directives a Community Action Programme to combat discrimination (2001-2006) to enable people to build their own actions to tackle discrimination at a local level, where it is often most effective. BIBLIOGRAPHY Carlton-LaNey, Iris. (1999). "African American Social Work Pioneers Response to Need." Social Work 44, no. 4 (July 1999): 311– 321. Dalrymple J. & Burke B. (1995) Anti-Oppressive Practice: Social Care and the Law. Buckingham: Open University Press. Elaine P. Congress. (1999). Social work values and ethics (Identifying and resolving professional dilemmas). Wadsworth publication. P:197. ISBN-10: 0830414924. Frederic G. Reamer. (1999). Social work knowledge and ethics (Foundations of social work knowledge series). Columbia University Press. P: 256. ISBN-10: 0231113919. Hopps, June, & Pauline Collins. (1995)."Social Work Profession Overview." In Encyclopedia of Social Work. 19th ed. Edited by Richard Edwards and June Hopps. Washington, D.C.: NASW Press. Lorde, Audre. (1984). Uses of the erotic: The erotic as power. In Sister outsider. Trumansberg, New York: The Crossing Press. Popple, Phillip, & Leslie Leighninger. (2002).Social Work, Social Welfare, and American Society. 5th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Thompson N. (1997). Anti-Discriminatory Practice. (2nd ed.) London: Macmillan. Thompson N.(1995). Promising equality: Challenging Discrimination and Oppression in the Human Services. London Macmillan Read More