As a competent social worker, I will advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. I understand that every person, regardless of position in society, has fundamental human rights such as freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, health care, and education. I understand and am knowledgeable regarding theories of human need and social justice and strategies to promote social and economic justice and human rights and will work to eliminate barriers to these objectives at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Further, I will use macro level strategies including policy revision advocacy, which is designed to eliminate oppressive structural barriers to ensure social goods, rights, and responsibilities are distributed equitably and that civil, political, environmental, economic, social, and cultural human rights are protected. Our facility will create surveys and set goals to have overall satisfaction with the ways in which individuals are treated in the facility and the services provided. If areas of improvement are needed, I would address them and continue to aim for perfection in this area. Finally, I understand that social work values such as human rights, social justice, and the dignity and worth of the person, among other values, directly coincide with my personal values which will enable me to better advocate for human rights, and social, racial, economic and environmental justice. There is no incongruence between personal beliefs and professional ethics in this vein of practice.
2.1 Demonstrated Leadership in Developing & Implementing Evidence-Based Practice With Relevant Strategies that Advance Human Rights at the Individual, Family, Group, Organizational, Community, Research, and Policy Levels
Coursework Experience: In SOCW-618 Advanced Administrative Practice: Administrative & Leadership Skills, in coordination with a group cohort I created a non-profit organization that addressed the human rights** concerns specifically experienced by foster care parents. I discovered that multiple services are available for foster care children to meet their human rights needs, but the needs of foster parents are often overlooked. In our mock non-profit organization that would serve as a one-stop-shop for multiple services for this population I suggested programs such as providing respite care, supervised visitation rooms, and support groups, which will provide for the social and physical well-being of foster parents. Additionally, our non-profit would provide beds and bedding for foster parents in order to further meet physical needs relating to the changing needs of providing beds for a variety both in number and in age level of foster children who will experience stays in a given foster home. In this way, human rights were were advanced for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. A research base and policies were reviewed to determine human rights needs.
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**United Nations. (n.d.) Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
2.2 Implemented Culturally-informed Strategies with Diverse Populations
I have employed strategies for diverse populations that include an element of cultural awareness in order to best recognize one’s cultural preferences, specifically in social interactions. I recognize that without an understanding of one’s cultural tendencies and preferences it is possible to disrespect them and cut off a fulsome assessment experience by my lack of awareness as to their personal views and preferences.
Field Experience: Something I’ve developed and personally implemented is the practice of asking patients how they wish to be addressed and whether they have certain pronouns they prefer to be addressed by in verbal and written communication. Additionally, if I am unfamiliar with a given culture I inquire if they have any preferences include within the context of their culture that should be considered within the context of the assessment. I do this, because individuals are the best equipped to relate their cultural prefernces to me over any written document I can find on one’s culture, as people vary widely, even within homogenous groups. Further, I respect any international cross-talking that occurs in an assessment interview in order to allow individuals to feel comfortable sharing their perspectives with me within the context of a precursor to direct communication involving a preferred language group–though requesting any information that would be pertinent to my assessment of the patient and any recommended dispositions that could result.
Knowledge: The knowledge that I incorporated in this competency included a knowledge of the HUMAN RIGHTS that are not experienced by all equally in society and that my VOICE and INFLUENCE can help others to get their needs met in an equitable fashion. When there is unequal treatment that results a human being is not receiving the opportunity to experience a safe and healthful environment that reflects equal treatment, it is then that I need to ADVOCATE on behalf of the needs that they are expressing and using my LANGUAGE SKILLS and CONFIDENCE to represent them in the most impressive manner possible.
Values: This competency revolved around the values of DIGNITY and WORTH OF PERSONS, RESPECT for others, COMPETENCY, INTEGRITY, and DETERMINATION. When advocating for the human rights and social justice of others, DETERMINATION to provide experiences that clients are not yet experiencing is paramount to achieving that goal. Additionally, valuing the DIGNITY AND WORTH OF PERSONS becomes the impetus for the advocacy, because the contrast to what they should be receiving is disturbing. Clients must also feel RESPECTED in the advocacy in order for hope to be realized as I work, and COMPETENCY will ensure that clients have an advocate who has been trained and is best equipped to represent their needs. Finally, INTEGRITY must color the entire advocacy process to that both the clients and others who I interface with understand my sincerity and the truthfulness of the cliams that I present in order to determine that they will be pleased to work with me on behalf of legitimate claims or concerns that the client has represented to me.
Skills: LISTENING skills, the ability to RECALL information, and the ability to DRAFT PROPOSALS to organizations on behalf of clients regarding an aspect of human rights or social justice that is not being realized by my clients is absolutely necessary. In advocacy, SPEAKING skills are also especially important as is the ability to SIMPLIFY complex information and relate it in a simple manner.
Cognitive Processes: I had to APPRAISE the information I received, DISCRIMINATE between the information that would be useful to my advocacy and that which would not be as useful, and then GENERATE a plan for how I would begin to advocate for my client using the information I had selected from notes as evidence of the need. A SUMMARY would be drafted and that summary would be incorporated into letters and other talking points that I would reference for any communications.
Affective Processes: It was especially important in this competency that I DEDUCE what human rights were being excluded and what forms of injustice were being experienced by the client. Additionally, I had to CONSIDER the client’s plight if I did nothing and then ACT ON the information I was provided and begin advocacy on behalf of my client.
Theoretical Foundation: The theoretical foundation that most useful in this competency includes the ANTI-OPPRESSIVE PRACTICE SOCIAL WORK THEORY, because without an acknowledgement and awareness that oppression was at work in the lack of human rights and justice for my client, there would be no basis to understand why my client was experiencing life differently than others. Understanding oppression and the need to fight against it provides a framework for addressing the lack of rights and couching it in the frame of actions that are detrimental to the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness which all citizens should enjoy equally.