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Advocacy & Organizing
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. That mission remains
the same over 100 years later.
Social workers continue to carry the torch for those who need help
to succeed in our society. Indeed, while only a small percentage
of the nation’s half a million social workers count advocacy
as their primary job duty, all social workers carry a philosophical
charge to protect and empower the vulnerable and disadvantaged. They
do so through a variety of means including writing op-ed pieces,
lobbying, organizing local protests, and helping to change laws that
adversely affect vulnerable and disadvantaged members of society.
Today’s social workers employ a full range of techniques for
advocacy ranging from protests and sit-ins to harnessing the power
of the Internet to network with others to affect change.
The knowledge, values and ethics base of social work education uniquely
equips social workers to take on advocacy roles. For one thing, they
see first-hand the difficulties faced by clients who lack the resources
for maintaining the basic human needs for themselves and their families.
Social workers will work with social service agencies to facilitate
economic maintenance, protect a social safety net or ensure the availability
of health and mental health services.
Mobilizing resources, public opinion, interacting with agencies
whose responsibilities are to serve the needs of vulnerable populations
are ways social workers champion the rights of individuals, communities
and society at large through active participation in the political
process. Whether concerned about an individual’s needs or social
policy reform, social workers are most frequently the voice for change
and social justice.
Often, the needs of individuals and policy overlap. Here is an example:
A social worker works for an organization dedicated to serving homeless
and low-income families. Several of her homeless clients tell her
they are unable to receive emergency food stamps. When she explores
why, she finds a bureaucratic glitch: Because homeless families have
no address they are not considered residents and are therefore ineligible
for the aid.
In the following weeks, the social worker meets with area service
providers and state legislators, who agree to clarify the state policy
and implement new regulations allowing homeless people to receive
food stamps. The social worker continues her advocacy efforts at
the national level, providing testimony that eventually helps to
pass the Hunger Prevention Act of 1988 (P.L. 100-435).
Social workers advocate in many other ways as well. These include:
- Media involvement: Social workers help educate the public by
writing letters to the editor and op-ed pieces that clarify misinformation
about social programs and point out social injustices that may
otherwise escape public attention.
- Community organizing: Social workers have long worked to empower
citizens by helping them plan activities that address social problems,
improve services and enhance social well-being. In 2000, for example,
social work students helped organize local grassroots activities
as part of a national campaign to end gun violence.
- Demonstrations: Social workers continue to use this organizing
tool to empower citizens. An example is a social worker who learned
that one of her clients was living in a housing complex that was
in terrible disrepair. All reasonable efforts to get the landlord
involved had failed. The social worker helped to organize the tenants,
who attempted to meet with the landlord to discuss improvements.
When he didn’t respond, they picketed his house, showing
up every day for a week. The social worker arranged for the media
to cover the event and eventually, the landlord made the repairs.
Social workers also work continuously to improve legislation to
benefit those in need. They are now engaged in efforts to protect
Social Security recipients, for instance, and to protect vulnerable
members of our society from hate crimes.
http://www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/default.asp
http://www.helpstartshere.org/Careers.html
References:
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- Gibelman, M. (1995). What Social Workers Do (4th ed.).
Washington, DC. NASW Press.
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- Mickelson, J.S. (1995). Advocacy. In R.L. Edwards (Ed.-in-Chief),
Encyclopedia of social work (19th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 95-100). Washington,
D.C.: NASW Press.
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- Vallianatos, C. Students take action on gun violence. (2000, June).
NASW News, p.3.
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- Geraty, E. This issue’s book selection. (2002, May 27).
Social Work Today, p. 7.
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- Mizrahi, T. & Rosenthal, B. (2001, January) Complexities of Coalition Building:
Leaders' Successes, Strategies, Struggles and Solutions.
Social Work, p. 63.
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