Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice
Introduction: As a professional social worker, I will advocate for human rights and justice by spearheading strategies to address injustice. I will abide by the NASW Code of Ethics to find culturally competent solutions that are motivated by the self-determination of the populations I serve. I will also lead efforts to improve to promote anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.
3.1 – Demonstrate leadership in advocating for human rights, social, economic and environmental justice.
Course: For my Crisis and Emergency Management emphasis, I participated in several trainings, including Psychological First Aid, FEMA disaster response, and TF-CBT Training. These trainings taught me about how to empower clients amidst personal or community crises. These trainings exemplified the values of service and social justice by providing practical skills for supporting people in need. The FEMA training taught me how to demonstrate leadership in a crisis situation and utilize leadership strategies in a hierarchical response structure.
3.2 – Design and implement social action strategies that demonstrate social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
Field Evidence: I created new processes for the Case Management team to encourage greater empowerment and self-determination for individuals experiencing homelessness between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four in the Chattanooga area. I added a Client Goal Setting Form to the new client intake packet which helped Case Managers work with clients to create goals and action steps to work toward while in the program. All clients and Case Managers now complete the goal form upon intake and use it to guide their monthly face-to-face meetings. This form demonstrates social, racial, economic, and environmental justice by allowing individuals experiencing homelessness to determine their own needs and create an achievable plan with the assistance of their Case Manager to overcome social, racial, economic, and environmental barriers to their long term stability. The goal setting form utilizes Constructionist Learning Theory by providing a framework for clients to learn through their own decision-making and self-discovery. I used affective processes of responding to the needs of the program and clients. I used the cognitive process of creating to design and implement the new form.