Economic justice in social work is an attempt to equalize the privileges of the vulnerable members of the community to the privileges of the community members who are well-off in several aspects such as access to resources and service delivery. These are common ways through which vulnerable members of the community suffer oppression and discrimination. In advocating for economic justice, social workers should focus on balancing and bridging the gap between the economically advantaged and economically disadvantaged members of the community rather than seeking to undermine those who are advantaged. One should aim at reducing or discouraging socially unacceptable practices such as oppression and discrimination while promoting positive virtues of equity, equality, fairness and justice. There is need to use both social and media to educate the community on the benefits of economic justice. According to NASW (2016), creativity is also important in promoting economic justice and social inclusion. The most important consideration at this point is to make the community aware of the negative consequences of economic injustice and positive consequences of economic justice and inclusion.
Advocacy is a skill that every social worker need to poses and manifest in the course of disseminating social work duties to the communities. Advocacy for positive change is paramount in driving change in the community. It is important since it ensures social and economic justice in the community by discouraging social and economic vices such as oppression, and unfair distribution of resources. As social workers, our role is to subordinate our own interests, values and beliefs to those of the community. What seems good and positive to us as SSWs may not necessarily apply to the community in the same way. The code of ethics for all the social workers require open-minded and a positive attitude towards members of the community in order to establish their needs as well as potential (Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, 2015).
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Awareness of our own values, beliefs, principles and the code of ethics guiding the practice of social workers is the basis of understanding and alleviating challenges faced by our clients at different capacities. Our values inform our integrity as SSWs and guide the choices we make, our practices and the manner in which we disseminate our duties. As SSWs, we must rely on our beliefs, values and principles to make positive change in our clients’ lives. Being aware of our own principles and ethics helps us to make informed decisions on how to assist our clients. We should always think and act positively for the benefit of the community. Our role as social workers is to address the needs of the community and fulfill their desires. Members of the communities have varied needs and desires which cannot be addressed collectively. An implication on our profession is to assess those needs critically and identify those which are common to the entire community and distinguish them from those which belong to individuals. This should followed by designing appropriate remedial action to first address universal needs, followed by individual needs. In so doing, our goal should be to bring about social change by encouraging virtues such as social and economic justice.
Diversity in the community is inevitable and overcoming it can prove a quite challenging task. As social workers, we are the only hope for the satisfaction of the diverse needs of the community. One of the strategies to overcome diversity in the community is to treat everyone with respect and dignity. We should also try to avoid negativities by trying to consider everyone’s opinions and views in a positive way since they reflect their diverse backgrounds. Embracing diversity leads to a positive ending and a win/win outcome which is the ultimate aim of every SSW.
Rules of the society reflect their constitution of ethics and morality. However, these rules change from time to time. In our work as SSWs, we need to be conscious about the reference of our judgment of the extent to which an action is moral. We should be flexible and change our understanding of social rules as they change overtime. It is also important for us to have an understanding situational ethics and how to apply them in our work.
In our service as SSWs, we need to be aware of socially disadvantaged groups of community members. These include but not limited to the elder adults, children, marginalized ethnic groups among others. Considering these variables is the basis satisfying the needs of the marginalized members of the community. We should create a platform that allows for effective expression of ideas, needs and demands of all the groups of people, including the socially underprivileged groups.
Application of strength-based resilience lens in our practice as SSWs is important in enabling underprivileged members of the community to get out of their challenges. Despite their previous challenges, we should encourage them that they have the potential to achieve the best in their lives. We should focus on guiding them on how to fully utilize their resources in order to attain the desired change. Strength-based approach in SSW ensures maximization of abilities and potential while minimizing on the weaknesses.
The potential of the whole community is determined by its resources. As community SSWs, we need to focus on these resources if we have to achieve the desired change. Some resources in the community are potentially beneficial, yet they have not been converted into productive assets. Our role is to help the communities realize the benefits of such resources. In doing so, we should help the communities to work together towards a common goal. Community members themselves are important resources necessary for positive change. We should also encourage them to become more productive for their own well-being.
References
NASW (2016, 10 Social Justice . Retrieved from social workers.org : www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/features/issue/peace.asp
Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. (2015). Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. Retrieved October 1, 2016, from http://www.ocswssw.org/professional-practice/code-of-ethics/
