Social Work and Disability This module 1 will highlight what social work is, how it is represented in a specific country, and finally it will present key approaches in disability and social work (systemic approach, the twin-track approach and CBR).

Overview 1. Social Work Definition Aims and values The profession of social worker The different levels of intervention 2. Social Work in my country 3. 3 key approaches in the field of Social Work and disability: The systemic approach, a key concept of Social Work The twin-track approach CBR

1. Social Work INTERACTION: The trainer asks participants to BRAINSTORM around the definition of social work and the purpose of the profession in a society. Some Key words that people might come out with : change, assistance/help, people, family, communities, relationships, social justice, equal in society, protection, resources, charity….

International definition of Social Work Human rights and social justice are fundamental principles in social work. Social Work as a profession: promotes social change and solves problems in human relationships helps people to be empowered and liberated so as to improve their well-being. Social Work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. CONTENT: (see PSS guidebook, p.9) According to the international federation of social workers (IFSW): “The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.” (Social work is dynamic and evolving, and no one definition is the permanent one) IFSW website

Aims To overcome inequality and injustice by including everyone (vulnerable, marginalised or excluded people in particular), i.e. by: Increasing the autonomy of people; Mobilising individuals, families, organisations and communities to improve a person’s personal satisfaction, empowerment and quality of life; Bringing about social change (laws and social policies). INTERACTION: The trainer asks the participants: “In your opinion, what is the main aim of social work?” Answer: Empowerment (see the Empowerment module) CONTENT: (see the PSS guidebook, p. 8) NB: ‘personal satisfaction’ = social well-being and a sense of enrichment

EXERCISE Inclusion/exclusion? INTERACTION: The trainees can be separated into groups. The trainer can ask the participants : - What do you think of when you hear the word ‘exclusion’? What do you think of when you hear the word ‘inclusion’? Each group is given 5 minutes to discuss, then 5 minutes to present the result of their discussion with other groups. ** This exercise gives a mental picture to participants of what inclusion and exclusion both look and feel like. To contrast both concepts along side each other. Can draw or do a word bubble (with arrows radiating out).

Inclusion SEGREGATION EXCLUSION INCLUSION INTEGRATION INTERACTION: The trainer can ask the participants to find drawings which correspond to: exclusion – segregation – integration and exclusion, and introduce them gradually onto the slide CONTENT: Inclusion is a double movement, from the person to society AND from society to the person. Inclusion requires that vulnerable people, including people with disabilities, are recognised as full and equal members of society who must be actively involved in the development process regardless of their disability or any other factor such as race, skin colour, sex, language, religion, political opinions, nationality, ethnicity, social origin, heritage, birth, age or any other status. See the link with the triangle of stakeholders in the ‘Environment’ module; to have inclusion at all levels of society, these 3 stakeholders (authorities/users/providers) must coordinate, each according to their responsibilities.

Inclusion… Means social participation in the community Means nobody is left behind Meets the top needs of a person Is the goal of our work Happens through a series of efforts at the personal and environmental level CONTENT: Inclusion refers to social participation in the community, where nobody is left behind and individuals are recognized as rights holders and meet their needs (see module 1 – disability models and exclusion/disability versus inclusion/participation). Inclusion can be achieved through working both at the personal and environmental level (twin track approach will be explained later in this lecture). 8

Identify your own values and those of social work EXERCICE Identify your own values and those of social work INTERACTION : 15 mins The trainer asks the participants: “What are your personal values?” and “In your opinion, what are the values of social work?” If the exercise of every profession is guided by a set of values, first of all it would be interesting to ask which human values each person has, and which basic beliefs guide people in their work (e.g. honesty, integrity, responsibility), remembering that many of these values or beliefs can be similar or overlap. It is up to us to adhere to our own personal values, but it is our duty to uphold the values of a profession if the aim is to be part of that profession: it is not a case of values that are just ‘nice to have’, but values that you need to have so as to exercise your profession and represent it correctly.

Values of social work Every person has value All people should be treated equally Human rights and social justice are important Social work aims for human development Each person can take an active role in their life Diversity has value There is potential in all communities Solidarity is important INTERACTION: 15 mins The trainer asks the participants what they think of each of the values mentioned earlier, if they understand them, accept/agree with them or not, and if they can think of any others. CONTENT: (see PSS guidebook, p. 8) Values of social work include: Every person has value: means that no matter who you are, what you can do, what your personal characteristics are (age, gender, class, race, religion), you have a human value… that value can be appreciated by other people and hopefully they are able to see it in everyone. All people should be treated equally: means that regardless of personal characteristics (age, gender, class, race, religion) everyone deserves a basic level of respect and treatment. Human rights and social justice are very important to humanity’s advancement and cohesion… there is a saying that civilizations are judged on how they treat their most vulnerable people. Social work aims for human development… not just to get basic right met… but hopefully to help maximize humans’ ability to be fulfilled and contribute to society. Each person can take an active role in their life… when given the chance to do so and supported. Diversity has value… and is not an enemy. In many societies, the diversity of cultures has much to offer in terms of food, language, traditions, music, clothing… these are basic things… but diversity of opinions and ways of thinking can make a society better as it challenges itself to betterment. There is potential in all communities… and there are different ways to measure this potential… at the very least, many communities have social structures and social capital to contribute to each other and the greater society. Solidarity is important… despite the differences and diversity, what will advance societies and maximize on what everyone has to offer is the solidarity amongst people to work together.

Brainstorming session on the values of social work ACTIVITY Brainstorming session on the values of social work See the Activity ‘Brainstorming session on the values of social work’ - 20 minutes

The profession of social worker Social Work is one of the social SCIENCES There is an international federation of Social Work which monitors and validates the development of training courses on this subject. An increasing number of countries are developing training schools in ‘Social Work’ Social worker is a PROFESSION recognised by the award of a state diploma upon completion of a training course that lasts 3-5 years depending on the country It is therefore a professional title, with each specialist area having its own dedicated skills set

Levels of Intervention Social work can have near or far-reaching effects depending on the intervention used, there are 4 levels of impact: person family community society CONTENT: Social work can be seen as having 4 levels of impact : the person, the family, the community, and the society.

Levels of interventions Personal level: PSS - personal support on a particular project (focus of this training kit), counseling, psychosocial support, guidance, (…) Family level: using sociograms, teaching self-advocacy, protection - child/family reunion, (family mediation – family counseling, conflict mitigation, …) Community level: community organization and engaging in social and political action, coordinating systems, access to basic needs -facilitating meetings, mapping services, networking & forging links Society level: Social policy, planning, development CONTENT: Priorities of social work will vary from country to country and from time to time depending on cultural, historical, and socio-economic conditions. It is important to remember that interventions can impact 4 different levels and the focus should never be on only one level but to make sure all levels can be touched as needed, sometimes you need to touch the family and community level before the individual can benefit. So as a reminder, these interventions can fit into one or multiple levels of impact: individual, family, community, society.

Different contexts We can see Social Work in various human contexts: emergency response, naturally but also in a development context where it is used to address the personal and social issues of vulnerable populations  In all contexts, it strives to improve social participation and access to services for the most vulnerable populations

EXERCISE What are the differences between Social Work in an emergency response context and a development context? INTERACTION: 15 mins The trainer asks the participants: “What differences can you see between the Social Work deployed in a conflict or emergency response situation, and the Social Work deployed in an everyday situation?” Some answers may be: -immediate protection and basic human rights in emergency situations -quick identification and referral of people to appropriate services. -child and family reunion -coordination of resources -psychosocial support It is also interesting to reflect that many of the participants may have spoken about crisis that affect a whole community (e.g. an earthquake, a civil war, etc.) It is important however to remember that a crisis can affect only 1 person (e.g. being abused), and interventions in social work with that person will change.

Social Work in Developing countries Social policies may be under developed or non-existent Management of resources centralized at national level Numbers of social workers low with often a higher density of population Poverty and chronic crisis may make the nature of social work more protection, basic needs related, until other issues can be tackled. CONTENT: (see the PSS guidebook, p. 11)

Nevertheless… International NGOs getting more involved in local development Social work tied into many different types of development programs Social work is important to SDGs In developing countries, there is room for innovation/experimentation, the institutional constraints are not present like in developed countries. CONTENT: International NGOs and institutions are getting more involved in local development, which increases the presence of social work within development programmes. Social Work is important to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include 17 international development goals to be achieved by 2030, and include such things as no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, reduced inequalities, etc. Institutional constraints that would limit practice in developed countries are standards and protocols that guide everyone’ work but that limit new practice as everyone approaches social work in a similar way. There may be different and new ways to do social work that have not been discovered due to these constraints.

2. Social Work in my country

The 3 models of national social policies Government is the only one qualified and responsible to address social needs of all. Government should only reach most needy. The rest of the social needs should be addressed by the private sector. The government should be less involved. Communities need to strengthen and address social needs, to build mutual-aid networks. INTERACTION: The trainer can ask participants to identify within these 3 models which one applies better to their country (the trainer should look up the answer before the training as this is likely to change depending on the country). 10 minutes CONTENT: (see PSS guidebook, p. 10) These models speak about the different approaches of different countries based on values and resources. For developing countries the 3rd model has become the more common situation, as the government has less resources to allocate to social work and social services, communities themselves are finding ways to meet the most urgent social needs.

Exercise Social Work in my country SWOT analysis on Social Work in my country INTERACTION: the trainer is advised to find the answers before the training session is held. 30 minutes The trainer asks the participants to perform a SWOT analysis of Social Work in their country (strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats) The trainer picks up the themes discussed and validates their authenticity/relevance. The trainer also introduces the main Social Work stakeholders in the country (formal and informal, national and local).

3. 3 key approaches in the field of Disability and Social Work

Systemic approach … Believes that humans are a product of their environment. To understand a person, we need to understand their environment. The environment is made up of many different types of ‘systems’. Each person belongs to different systems according to their own needs/characteristics. (System: a set of things working together as part of a connected network) CONTENT: (see PSS guidebook, p. 19-22) In social work, particularly within a personalised social support process framework, certain facilitators base their actions on the systemic approach. This method was first introduced in the United States in the 1940s and is based on studies in the fields of psychosociology and communication. It considers that each human being coexists within several different systems at once and that all these systems influence each other. In any given context, an individual is therefore constantly interacting with the environment and other members of the group they belong to. The behaviour of each member of the group is linked to the behaviour of all the others, and depends directly on it.

The principles of the systemic approach The systemic approach is defined as the way in which we interact with others and understand their situation, attitudes and beliefs; people are influenced by other factors and/or people. The systemic approach also believes that each community/society holds the solutions that allow its problems to be addressed; the challenge is to identify and mobilise those solutions. The systems are constantly evolving and each person exists within these evolving systems. CONTENTS: (see PSS guidebook, p. 19-22) Each person in a system is impacted by the system and also is able to impact the system themselves. Something that is seen as a problem is not a malfunctioning of the system, but a natural part of the system. Example of a system: Group dynamics, values and roles, for the people a particular territory or area. Under the framework of social support, the systemic approach allows a personalised project to be better organised, allows things to be put into perspective, and does not allow any member of any system to be forgotten when a plan of action is being drawn up. Furthermore, this approach allows the place and function of each person to be identified and understood at individual level, and by extension at collective and community level.

There are 5 types of systems 1st layer: Personal - age, gender, abilities 2nd layer: Immediate - family, school, work, friends 3rd layer: Community-region - NGOs, ministries, funding sources 4th layer: Society - larger values, beliefs, politics, values, national laws of area (country, region) 5th: Interaction of all systems (system itself) CONTENT: Each person is linked with all these 5 systems, though may have some stronger links with some systems and not others.

CONTENT: The auto-system: the characteristics of the individual: age, sex, capabilities, disability = the Personal level The micro-system: immediate environment: family, school, workplace, support centre etc = the Immediate Environment level The exo-system: environments in which the person is not directly involved but which influence their immediate environment: parents’ workplace, community infrastructures, support and family support systems = the Community-Region level The macro-system: the set of values, beliefs, ideologies and political orientations present in a society = the Society level The meso-system: involves interactions between the different systems = the Interaction between all Systems level Interactions between systems or parts of systems are relational spaces which provide us with information allowing us to assess a system’s resources and anticipate the actions to be carried out. Strengthening these links through improved coordination can, for example, foster the conditions for including people.

Using a systemic approach… His/her place in society In his/her different spheres of life The places to which s/he belongs Socio cultural and religious His/her work and company The person Personality Culture History Identity Values Interests Organisations to which s/he belongs: Sporting, humanitarian, other His/her accommodation And neighbourhood CONTENT : (see guidebook page 19) A person evolves in different dimensions – physical, psychological, social and spiritual. These dimensions match up with the different aspects of their existence (body, thoughts, values and beliefs), relationships with others and the world (family, close circle) and existential motivation (the place and role they have, or want to have in this world). In social work, building up a relationship and communicating with others, taking part in social support, implies taking into consideration all aspects of the other person in order to get to know them and to understand them better. The context in which a person exists takes into account the values of the society they live in and those of the group they belong to. The systemic approach enables us to better identify and understand the role and function of each person at an individual level and, by extension, at a group and community level. It also helps us to make a global analysis of a person’s situation, and facilitate the interaction with their environment. His/her school and where s/he received training

Systemic approach… in your work Observe and understand the role and function of the person within the larger group they live in and in interaction with other systems. Find solutions and resources within existing auto, micro and macro systems of the person. Be aware of the impact of your intervention on actors from other systems. CONTENT: A systemic understanding impacts the work of social facilitators, as it relates to how a person is understood within their environment and all the systems that make up that environment. The better all the layers impacting the person are understood, the better the social facilitator can work with them to interact successfully with all those layers.

Analysis of the case studies using a systemic approach ACTIVITY Analysis of the case studies using a systemic approach See the Activity “Analysis of the case studies using a systemic approach” 1 hour

The twin track approach Focus on ‘the system’ Focus on ‘the person’ People with disabilities have access to an inclusive system because of: - Inclusive development policies and initiatives - An inclusive system of services with on going links between specialized, support and mainstream services - Awareness from all of the importance of inclusion, perception of persons with disabilities as rights holders, part of the community / Social change - etc. Specific initiatives are developed to increase the empowerment of persons with disabilities: -Soft skills, capacity developed -Personal and group support given -Opportunities for independent living created - etc. + CONTENT: Social Work focuses on the well-being of the person in their environment. It is therefore rooted in the principle of reality in which people are required to take account of the realities of their environment (but without submitting to them) so as to ‘advance’. The twin-track approach therefore always allows a link to be forged between the person and their environment, and stresses that inclusion can only be effective and long term if the actions are carried out with both ‘stakeholders’: the person and their environment. The twin track approach was first developed by DFID for the empowerment and full participation of women. This approach is also now used in disability and development, as presented in this slide. The twin track means we can work at the same time on empowering a person with a disability to live the fullest life possible, while also needing to work on the system they live within to be more inclusive. Traditionally the focus has been more on the person instead of the inclusive systems approach. It is important to focus on both, one cannot succeed without the other: -If a person is in a 100% inclusive system but not empowered to access/take advantage of the system, it will not work. -If a person is fully empowered and would like to participate in their community, but there are no accessible services, it will not work. For the full participation of people with disabilities

The twin-track approach ACTIVITY The twin-track approach See the Activity ‘Twin-track of social work’ 1 hour Portable flipcharts for small groups, marker pens

ACTIVITY Inclusive approach at the individual level: facilitate interactions with a person with disabilities See the Activity ‘Inclusive approach in 3 major areas of life’ 1 hour

CBR: community-based rehabilitation Although often mistaken for a project, CBR is an approach, to: mobilize the entire community to be as inclusive as possible of persons with disabilities. CONTENT: The Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) approach has a long history as an approach to address disability in community level settings. End of 1970’s/beginning of 1980’s, CBR was proposed as a way to meet the needs of providing rehabilitation and preventative services for PWD. It was designed to replace centralized institution based rehabilitation and the prevailing disability medical model with coordination at all levels of society to equalize opportunity, promote integration, support political empowerment and participation, decrease environmental barriers, protect human rights, and provide appropriate treatment and prevention initiatives. This was done by mobilizing community resources, including PWD and their family members. The CBR approach has evolved constantly, with progressive understanding of disability (see module 1 – evolution of perception of disability through different disability models) as well as the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the governmental decentralization movement, demands from PWD themselves, etc. Although often mistaken for a project, CBR is an approach, a multisectorial development strategy for addressing exclusion and disability. (the next slide will show the different sectors of CBR).

CONTENT: The World Health Organisation (WHO) published in 2010 CBR guidelines to facilitate the use of this approach in development programming. These guidelines include a matrix including five key components – the health, education, livelihood, social and empowerment components. Within each component there are five elements. The first four components relate to key development sectors. The final component (empowerment) relates to the empowerment of people with disabilities, their families and communities. CBR programmes are not expected to implement every component and element of the CBR matrix. Instead the matrix has been designed to allow programmes to select options which best meet their local needs, priorities and resources. In addition to implementing specific activities for people with disabilities, CBR programmes will need to develop partnerships and alliances with other sectors not covered by CBR programmes to ensure that people with disabilities and their family members are able to access the benefits of these sectors. Social facilitators in certain settings can play the role of a CBR worker – their role however is not to perform all of these services, but to see how these services can be better linked to a person with a disability and what kind of support services need to be mobilized to meet these needs. 34

EXERCISE CBR INTERACTION: to be defined!

Summary What are the key points of this module? - Which of them would you like to develop in more depth?

KEY MESSAGES Social Work promotes social change, problem-solving in human relations and the empowerment of people with the aim of strengthening their well-being. The systemic approach also believes that each community/society holds the solutions that allow its problems to be solved; the challenge lies in identifying and mobilising those solutions... The twin-track approach states that the activities aimed at developing the inclusion of people with disabilities must be carried out in a concerted manner at the level of the individual AND their environment. It is this double movement which ensures effective inclusion.. For people with disabilities, community-based rehabilitation aims to improve their inclusion in their community. The inclusive approach is the one which helps to ensure that everyone is included in their environment. This entails thinking about the adaptations that are required by and USEFUL to everyone so as to improve interaction between individuals and access to services.