Competence-Based Social Work: The Profession of Caring, Knowing, and Serving Chapter 10: Diversity in Practice Michael E. Sherr, Ph.D Johnny M. Jones, Ph. D

Foundational Key Points about Social Work Social Work is a complex and dynamic profession. The purpose of social work is to enhance or restore well-being. Social work practice involves working with individuals, families, groups, and communities. Social work is more than a scientific field of study. Social workers actually care. Social work is rooted in the core values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence.

Foundational Key Points about Social Work Cont. Social workers incorporate a broad knowledge base, and professional values and skills, with a high degree of personal self-awareness, to develop the professional identity needed for competent practice. The broad scope of competent practice has brought, and will continue to bring, inherent tensions for the profession. Social workers believe that all people have basic human rights, such as self-determination, freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, health care, and education.

Foundational Key points for this chapter: As part of valuing self-determination, freedom, and other basic human rights of all people, social workers appreciate and celebrate all the dimensions of diversity; and Social workers recognize that difference and diversity can bring about opportunities, marginalization, and alienation, as well as privilege, and power. Social workers, therefore, make a commitment to advocate for social and economic justice in everything they do in practice.

A Logical and Central Value of Social Work Social workers emphasize the primary importance of individuals as the key to enhancing and restoring well-being. Social workers also value the delicate balance of similarity and uniqueness of individuals and groups as a foundation to community well-being. According to the NASW Code of Ethics (2006), “Social workers’ primary responsibility is to promote the wellbeing of clients.” Social workers believe that the overall quality of life for a community is enriched by understanding and celebrating differences.

Diversity and Well-being When social workers engage in reciprocal relationships we enter as life-long learners committed to learning, working with, and appreciating all the varieties of humanity. The people and institutions we engage with in practice do not always share the central importance of diversity. Often our practice involves encouraging individuals, groups, and communities to allow and embrace differences so that as many people as possible can enhance or restore their own well-being.

Privilege Individuals who belong to dominant groups are those within a society who by birth or attainment, are members of groups that are seen as normal or have the ability to influence the definition of normal. Belonging to a dominant group makes it more likely that individuals will experience privilege. Privilege is the benefits, advantages, and immunities from prejudice and discrimination afforded to certain individuals within a society.

Five core components of Privilege It is a special advantage It is granted because of dominant group membership or birthright It is related to a preferred status It benefits the recipient and excludes others It may or may not be outside of the privileged person’s awareness (Black & Stone, 2005)

Oppression Oppression is the use of power to disenfranchise or marginalize particular individuals or groups. The ability to access resources, to access opportunity, or to have the freedom to define and pursue joy and happiness, can become difficult or even impossible for groups of people that are different from the dominant group. If individuals from certain groups are viewed intentionally or unintentionally as different from the parameters used to describe normal by the dominant group, it becomes easier to dehumanize them.

The Five Faces of Oppression Exploitation Marginalization Powerlessness Cultural Imperialism Violence (Young, 1990)

Exploitation Exploitation occurs when differences in group characteristics are used by the members of the dominant group to define the rules of work, which makes it easier for that group to gain access to cumulative wealth in society. Systemic and structural exploitation occurs in such a way where the differences in standard of living, and the power where decisions about work and the levels or remuneration are made seem “normal” or even “natural”.

Marginalization Marginalization occurs when the dominant group decides “the system of labor cannot or will not use” (Young, 1990, p.53) certain people. Marginals are people that lack the skills needed to find and maintain employment, and are thought of economically dependent and irrelevant.

Powerlessness The extra burdens endured by people who are not professionals. (Young, 1990) Professionals exercise more power in the workplace, can work with considerably more autonomy, can make more money, and can elicit more societal respect because of their higher educational level and the higher value placed on their work. Individuals who belong to dominant groups tend to have more access to the resources needed to reach professional status in the workplace.

Cultural Imperialism The “universalization of a dominant group’s experience and culture, and is established as the norm”. (Young, 1990, p.59) The measure of a group’s cultural oppression is determined by the extent to which the cultural values and interpretations of a group are deemed marginal and/or nonexistent by the dominant group.

Violence Violence includes physical abuse and victimization. Groups who are targets of various “hate” crimes and who live in constant fear of being physically attacked are included in this form of oppression. Includes groups who are disproportionally targets of lesser forms of aggression, such as harassment, intimidation, and ridicule.

Empowerment Social workers view empowerment as both a theoretical model and as an approach or or method to practice. Reflects a wide range of ideas and themes drawn from the fields of sociology, economics, political theory, libertarian theology, Feminist theory, as well as social work tradition. (Freeman, 1990; Freire, 1970, 1973; Simon, 1994; Solomon, 1976) Empowerment as an approach reflects to the process by which individuals and groups gain power, access to resources, and control over their own lives. (Gutierrrez & Ortega, 1991; Lee 1994)

Empowerment Cont. Empowerment with direct practice, the emphasis on helping clients improve their own situations. Empowerment involves advocating for changes in society that remove structural barriers that prevent all groups of people from accessing the resources necessary for health and well-being. (Langan, 1998; Townsend, 1998) A primary component of empowerment in social work is helping clients develop critical consciousness or critical awareness of how political structures affect individual and group experience and contribute to personal or group powerlessness.

Case 9.1-Violet Scott Recall Erica is a 15-year-old African American girl who had been living in the group home for the last 14 months, who qualified for gifted and talented courses. The principals decided that Erica would “fit” better with students in regular sections of classes. What was it about the principal and assistant principal that allowed them to make the decision?

Case 9.1- Violet Scott Would the school official made the same decision of the student was a white male living in a two-parent heterosexual household? What would the school officials do if the parents of a white male student insisted that they allow their child to register for advanced classes even if the student barely missed the academic qualifications?

Case 4.1- Teresa Rogers Recall that Teresa was leading a planning committee to develop Project Hope, a long-term residential facility for single mothers and their children. The proposed mission statement was “The Project Hope apartments exist to provide a supportive environment for residents to develop their independence.” A few members expressed concern that the mission of the facility may inadvertently encourage residents to choose not to remarry and remain single. Analyzing the case through the lenses of privilege, oppression, and empowerment, why was encouraging independence of concern to some members of the committee?

Case 4.1- Teresa Rogers The women that will be living in the apartments are susceptible to being the victims of exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and even violence. Teresa needs to help the committee empathize and become critically aware of the potential residents vulnerability

Summary Diversity in practice is a core professional value of social work. The same differences celebrated by social workers can also bring about opportunities for oppression. Social workers must be aware of the role of privilege, oppression, and empowerment in their practice.