hat are good social workers made of? It has been hotly debated by contributors to The College of Social Work’s blog, and one of the main purposes of this new, monthly digital
magazine for our members will be to provide some answers. A quick glance at the blog (link below) reveals a
variety of opinions on the subject, but the following view is not untypical: ‘Human rights and social justice serve as the motivation and justification for social work action.’ Social justice is a clear theme emerging from our
consultation events on the future of social work with adults. Social workers attending were set the admittedly difficult task of summarising their role in a single sentence: responses included phrases like ‘agent of social change,’ ‘combating social injustice,’ and ‘champions for vulnerable people.’ Who said the radicalism had gone out of social work?
All of which begs the question:
What exactly do we mean by social justice? Jon Glasby, in his article on personalisation (page 11), mentions a possibility frequently cited by social workers as a reason for joining the profession: ‘To help people be the best they can be.’ In his book The Idea of Justice, the Nobel prize-
WHEN NOT TO SAY SORRY
VICTORIAHART A
This is the heart of social justice,
that someone is able to live to their full potential with the ‘capability to do things that he or she has reason to value’
winning economist Amartya Sen argues that this is the heart of social justice, that someone is able to live to their full potential with the ‘capability to do things that he or she has reason to value.’ We should reflect on how casually this capability is denied to vulnerable people and how critical social workers are in bringing about change for the better. The principle applies just as much to adoption (page 8) as it does to personalisation. If the debate were about helping all children in care be the best they can be, rather than a favoured few, then good social work and the pursuit of social justice might be better served.
Join the discussion 4 SOCIALWORKMATTERS JAN12
few weeks ago, I started an evening course and while we were introducing ourselves to the group, stating our names and professions,
I said I was a social worker. I may have had an apologetic tone to my voice expecting a negative response but I was met with interest and curiosity. One of the other attendees told me she had met other social workers who had been reluctant to share their profession in a group setting and she asked me why this was. Being someone who has always considered
myself proud to be a social worker, I gave thought to this. We do a necessary job and work hard at it. We should have no more reason to feel shy about shouting out about what we do than doctors or nurses, policemen or solicitors and yet, so often we are.
It seems to be about a general perception of our
role and work. Apart from very public scapegoating, such as we see after there have been high-profile failings in systems, I’ve found there is little attention to the work we do. We shouldn’t mistake little attention for little interest, though. If the media will not reflect and promote the work we do, it is something we can do for ourselves. Being a social worker identifies me and, to an
extent, it defines me. By explaining to people at an evening class what it is I actually do and changing their perceptions, moving the image from the abstract ‘tabloid grabbing’ headlines of failings to the personal explanations of the day-to-day work, we can show pride in the profession as a whole. We do have a lot to be proud of as social workers
and it’s worth remembering and demonstrating. We, along with those who have positive experiences of our interventions, are the best advocates for ourselves and our profession.