Competency 3: Human Rights & Justice

One of the core values of social work is to advance human rights, including social, economic, and environmental rights. Examples of these rights include freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, health care, and education. It is important to understand the oppression that individuals may experience in regards to their basic human rights, in order to work towards eradicating that oppression. Sometimes oppression is more subtle than what is reported in news media, and it is essential to understand all of the pros and cons of political topic and to formulate strategies based on factual evidence obtained from multiple sources rather than opinions or altered statistics from a select few. I will strive to understand and implement strategies that eliminate structural behaviors and provide equal services to all individuals. As an advanced social work practitioner, I will continue to work with clients who are at a disadvantage, and I will educate myself on policies that may improve or violate the rights of my clients. I will seek to understand global oppression and I will research topics thoroughly from multiple perspectives to find the best way to help my clients help themselves. 

3.1 Demonstrate leadership in advocating for human rights, social, economic, and environmental justice

Course Evidence: In my Advanced Social Policy class, my team and I developed a proposal for a National Child Victims Act (NCVA). Using research I gathered from multiple academic sources, I composed a policy brief outlining the issue of statutes of limitations on child sexual abuse, providing examples of different state policies on the statute of limitations, and recommendations for a nationalized statute of limitations. This will allow members of the community to educate themselves on the topic of child sexual abuse statutes of limitations and encourage them to advocate for a federal policy to benefit more victims. I demonstrated the affective domain organization by comparing different viewpoints and formulating reasons why the policy should be implemented. NCVA Policy Brief

Field Evidence: My task supervisor and I corresponded with Mayor Davis via email to determine strategies to continue providing services and operations at Mending Arrow Ranch during the COVID-19 outbreak. Since COVID-19 is a novel situation, my supervisor and I were required to adapt sessions and operations at the Ranch, which demonstrated a cognitive domain synthesis. I advocated for the Ranch by outlining why the services are necessary to the children who attend services and requested information on ways to keep the Ranch operational while looking out for the safety of the students. Mayor Davis COVID-19 Email Correspondence

Additional Evidence: While obtaining my BSW degree, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Dalton Daily Citizen to encourage citizens to contact their senators/representatives in order to pass the Georgia House Bill 607. This law would allow individuals with mental health issues to develop a Psychiatric Advance Directive so they could have a treatment plan in the event of a psychotic episode. Letter to the Editor

3.2 Design and implement social action strategies

Course Evidence: I presented research findings and recommendations to the Director of the Hamilton Residency Program that outlines the benefits of social work in outpatient health settings and urges these settings to incorporate social workers in their practice in order to provide better quality care and better coordination of care, increase physician satisfaction, and decrease healthcare costs overall. I also hope to present my findings to the Hamilton Board of Directors in the near future if possible. I demonstrated the cognitive domain evaluation by analyzing and discussing the quality and worth of social workers as applicable in outpatient healthcare settings. SW in Outpatient Health PPT

Additional Evidence: In my Advanced Administrative Practice and Leadership class, I developed an infographic on addiction myths vs. facts to be handed out to community members. This infographic addresses common misconceptions in the community regarding alcohol and drug addiction and recovery to help reduce stigma.