Title: ‘Promoting the Dignity
And worth of People’ A Critical
Appraisal of where we are at
In Irish Social Work Education
And Practice’
Prof Caroline McGregor
15 March 2016
NUI Galway/IASW Event
The Main Messages
• Deliver messages from IASW/ IFSW and IASSW
• Human Dignity and Worth is a RIGHT and Obligation to
uphold not an option or ‘Best Practice’
• Need to take a WORLD view of Social work
• Sources of evidence to assess: Practice (e.g. HIQA)
Education (CORU)
• Three dimensions to be considered: Individual,
Collective/External; Internal (Individual/Collective)
• Some actions for Present & Future with specific focus
on individual/collective actions ‘inside’ systems
IASW excerpt from Background to
WSW- IASW www.iasw.ie
• ‘WSWD was initiated by the IFSW a number of years
ago to mark the contribution of social work to societies
across the globe on an annual basis. This year, IFSW
invites social workers all over the world to celebrate
World Social Work Day on the 15th of March 2016
under the banner of the Global Agenda for Social
Work and Social Development’s theme “Promoting
the Dignity and Worth of Peoples”. Social work is a
profession framed by human rights that are based on
principles and values that respect human dignity. Social
work, therefore, has a critical role in the promoting the
dignity and worth of people and in striving for a
people-focused approach to service delivery’.
Background to WSW excerpt - IASW
www.iasw.ie
• ‘Social work itself is under increasing pressure on
a number of fronts. Social workers across Europe
feel disempowered and marginalised by the
increasing managerialism, discriminatory
legislation and policy developments at both
national and European Union levels. WSWD 2016
creates another opportunity for the profession to
express international solidarity and to bring
common messages to governments, regional
bodies and to our communities’.
...
• ‘...The IASW has been a member organisation
of the International Federation of Social
Workers (IFSW) for 45 years. In that time, the
IASW has provided a global president of IFSW
(Augusta McCabe), an IFSW European Region
President (Eilis Walsh), a European Region
Committee Treasurer (Monica Egan) and an
Election Officer (John Brennan)’
...
• ‘Across Europe, austerity has been a flawed
economic theory that has increased debt burden,
unemployment, homelessness, inequality, social
exclusion and has caused misery in the lives of
• many citizens. Social workers work every day with
the negative realities imposed on people by
austerity. In Ireland, as elsewhere, we know that
the impact of austerity has seen the most
vulnerable suffer to the greatest extent’.
End Excerpt from Background to
WSW- IASW www.iasw.ie
• ‘WSWD gives us an opportunity to both
celebrate the positive impact on society that
social workers across Ireland have made and
to inspire us to continue to fight the problems
that negatively affect the dignity and worth of
people’.
Message from President of IASSW
message of Vimla Nadkarni, IASSW
President
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1aSKbbE
-hI&sns=em
Messages from IAASW
• Wish you all a very happy World Social Work Day and Social
Work Month.
• Please find attached IASSW Message on World Social Work
Day March 15, 2016: Responding to the Refugee Crisis, Role
of Social Work. It is also available on IASSW
website:http://www.iassw-aiets.org/2016/03/13/iasswmessage-world-social-work-day-march-15-2016-2/
•
• IASSW also supports the IFSW Statement: Responding to
the Refugee Crisis.It is also available on IASSW
website:http://www.iassw-aiets.org/2016/03/13/851/
•
• EXCERPTS TO FOLLOW: SEE LINKS FOR full DETAILS
IASSW Message on World Social Work Day March 15,
2016: Responding to the Refugee Crisis, Role of Social
Work
• ‘IASSW believes that learnings from practice should be
integrated in social work curricula across the globe so
that the new social work workforce is oriented with
adequate knowledge, skills and attitudes for working
with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in different
contexts. Social workers will need to strengthen and
work in partnership with all other agencies and
professional groups to ensure that grassroots voices
reach the governments and ensure the right to life and
well-being for the most vulnerable and distressed
people around the world’.
IFSW Word Social Work Day message
•
•
IFSW STATEMENT: RESPONDING TO THE REFUGEE CRISIS
World Social Work Day March 15th 2016
• ‘Social workers representative’s worldwide are responding to the refugee
crisis and have formulated a five point working plan to:
• Coordinate social worker action in each of the affected countries to
provide better understandings and responses to refugee needs during
their journey, transfer and integration in the asylum countries.
• Provide a focused strategy that supports vulnerable groups such as
unaccompanied children and young people, older people, those with
health issues and trafficked persons.
• Establish a comprehensive political advocacy strategy that reflects a
‘ground up’ perspective on refugee needs, aspirations and solutions.
• Develop social work models that support refugees in isolated or life
threatening situations where other forms of assistance are not available.
Including that there will be an increasing number of refuges who face
closed boarders or hostile host communities who will face the critical
dilemma of staying where they are not welcome or returning to a war
situation that may result in their death.
• Enhance the skills of social workers working with others to constructively
develop inclusive and cohesive societies.’
IFSW Word Social Work Day message
• ‘Refugees are not helpless. They have significant
resources, skills, strengths, health and education.
These human assets should be the foundation for
rebuilding societies, evidence from social work
interventions across the world speak clearly to
engaging people in rebuilding their societies. This is in
marked contrast to the denigration that is perpetuated
by the ‘humanitarian aid’ mentality. Governments and
agencies should uphold human dignity, ensure that
people are treated with dignity and respect in refugee
camps, strengthen community and social
interdependence and, above all, involve people in all
decision-making over their futures’.
Welcome to World Social Work Day
Event: Galway: Sponsored by IASW
Title: ‘Promoting the
Dignity
And worth of People’ A
Critical
Appraisal of where we
are at
In Irish Social Work
Education
And Practice’
UN Declaration on Human Rights 1948
ARCTICLES 1 – 30
•
Article 1.
•
All human beings are born free and
equal in dignity and rights. They are
endowed with reason and conscience
and should act towards one another in
a spirit of brotherhood.
•
Article 30.
•
Nothing in this Declaration may be
interpreted as implying for any State,
group or person any right to engage in
any activity or to perform any act
aimed at the destruction of any of the
rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Core Social Work Principle
(Biestek, Social Casework, 1957)
• ‘Acceptance: The worker perceives and deals with
the client as he really is, including his strengths
and weaknesses, his positive and negative
feelings, his constructive and destructive
attitudes and behaviour, while maintaining and
communicating a sense of the client’s innate
dignity and personal worth. Acceptance does not
mean approval. The object of acceptance is not
“the good”, but “the real”. The acceptance, which
the client perceives, permits him to reveal
himself fully, without damage to his sense of
dignity’.
“Social work is a practice-based profession ....promotes
social change and development, social cohesion, and
the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles
of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility
and respect for diversities are central to social
work. Underpinned by theories of social work, social
sciences, humanities and indigenous knowledge, social
work engages people and structures to address life
challenges and enhance wellbeing.
The above definition may be amplified at national
and/or regional levels”.
Find: Promoting dignity and
Human Worth...
IFSW Code of Ethic
• 4.1. Human Rights and Human Dignity
• Social work is based on respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all
people, and the rights that follow from this. Social workers should uphold
and defend each person’s physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual
integrity and well-being. This means:
• Respecting the right to self-determination – Social workers should respect
and promote people’s right to make their own choices and decisions,
irrespective of their values and life choices, provided this does not
threaten the rights and legitimate interests of others.
• Promoting the right to participation – Social workers should promote the
full involvement and participation of people using their services in ways
that enable them to be empowered in all aspects of decisions and actions
affecting their lives.
• Treating each person as a whole – Social workers should be concerned
with the whole person, within the family, community, societal and natural
environments, and should seek to recognise all aspects of a person’s life.
• Identifying and developing strengths – Social workers should focus on the
strengths of all individuals, groups and communities and thus promote
their empowerment.
IASW Code of Ethics
• Values Statement
• The members of the Irish Association of Social Workers
(IASW) acknowledge: • That every person is unique
and has an intrinsic worth;
• • That every person and every group in society, with
due regard to the rights of others, is entitled to their
own beliefs, to freedom of expression and action
irrespective of nationality, ethnic background, social
and economic status, ability, health, gender, sexual
orientation, age, or contribution to society;
IASW on Power and Regulation
• . Social workers in focusing on individuals, groups and
communities in which they live will be aware of the
potential power imbalance in the relationships that
follow....
• . 4. The practice of social work operates within systems
that have a regulatory function. Social workers must be
cognisant of the inherent tensions between support
and control that may arise. In addressing such tensions,
social workers will at all times strive towards the
objective of the service user maximising their own
ability to make and carry out decisions affecting their
quality of life.
CORU Code of Professional conduct
ethics
• 2. Respecting the rights and dignity of people
You must show through your practice and
conduct, a respect for the rights and dignity of
people regardless of:
• • gender; • family status; • marital status; •
age; • disability; • sexual orientation; •
religion; • race; • membership of the Traveller
community, as identified under the Equal
Status Acts, 2000-2008.
Regulation of Education: See CORU
DOMAINS
• 1.1. b b) Respect and, so far as possible, uphold
the rights, dignity and autonomy of every
service user, including their role in the
diagnostic, therapeutic and social care process.
• 1.2 (anti-discriminatory practice) Assist in the
promotion of policies and systems to protect the
health, safety, welfare, equality and dignity of
staff, volunteers and service users
• 2.1. c Recognise and understand the concepts of
power and authority in relationships with service
users.
Regulation of Practice: HIQA for e.g.
My Message so Far
We have Many PRINCIPLES , CODES OF
ETHICS/PRACTICE
AND REGULATORY PROCESSES of
EDUCATION AND PRACTICE
TO GUIDE, INFORM AND REGULATE
PRACTICE relating to promotion of
DIGNITY and HUMAN WORTH –and
YET...
Multiple Examples (Evidenced) where
Dignity Is Not Upheld in Ireland (e.gs)
• gender;
Discrimination
Public/ private
• family status;
Homeless
Kinship care
Children in care
• marital status;
• age;
Single
homeless
Hospital services for
OLDER people
• disability;
Respite
Care
• sexual orientation;
Gay/Bise
xual YP
• • religion;
• race;
Attitudes
to
Persons
SEEKING
ASYLUM
ACTS OF
HARM
in name
of
• membership of the
Traveller community, as
identified under the Equal
Status Acts, 2000-2008.
Housing inequity
Education access
Care /Support
‘World View of Social Work’
IMPACT OF GLOBAL
INFLUENCES/CONDITIONS ON LOCAL
CONTEXT
GLOCALISATION
(Giddens)
GLOBALISATION
Opening of
Access to
Global
Processes
INTERNATIONALISATION
Global
Social
Work
Link with International Orgs
(e.g. IFSW/IASSW)
Exposure to Different
Practices and Theories/
Engagement with different
countries /systems
Some international Work from SWK
Also Members staff at NUI Galway 15-16!
of IASSW
IFSW
Marguerita is
completing an
i-book series
for
international
release
Caroline Guest
co-edited
special Ed on
international
perspectives on
labour,
migration and
gender – Swiss
Jnl of SWK
Dimensions of ‘world’ SWK
For AUDIENCE:
Have you specific examples of influence
of international experience/knowledge?
Inform
Own
Context
Address Common
International Themes
International
Practice (Social
policy/political )
AVOID
GENERALISAT
IN
Identify
SPECIFIC
actions and
AREAS
Three
modes
for
Action
to
Promote
INDIVIDUAL ACTION INDIVIDUAL/COLLECTIVE INTERNAL ACTION –
EXTERNAL
INSIDE THE
SYSTEMHuman WorthACTION
Dignity
and
‘OUTSIDE
EG:
Quality of OWN
PRACTICE- SELFREGULATION
SUPERVISION
PROCESESS
SERVICE USER
FEEDBACK
Knowledge Production ,
research evidence and
dissemination
Act as a Role Model
MY MAIN FOCUS
FOR TODAY
SYSTEM’
EG:
EFFECTIVE USE OF SERVICE user feedback
EG:
ACTION GROUPs
Embed and articulate Anti-discrminatory practice
beyond RHETHORIC and MEANINGFUL for ORG
JOIN
INTERNATIONAL/L
OCAL
ORGANISATIONS
RESEARCH as TOOL for ACTION – promote and use
findings
Knowledge Production (Knowledge as POWER) ,
evidence and dissemination
Peer and Collective support system local/national/international
Participation Strategies
‘Influencing Up’
Policy /political
advocacy
Knowledge
production
Research
evidence/
publication and
dissemination
some EG’s of the ‘Radical’ has become
Common Place (from outside to inside)
Service
‘Social’
Responsibility
Responsibility
to
whistleblow
User
Involvement
Participation
Once
‘Radical’
Working in
Partnership
Anti-discriminatory
(race/gender/age..)
Anti-oppressive Practice
My Message so Far
WE ARE MORE WELL INFORMED AND AWARE OF
THE POTENTIAL AND LIMITS OF INDIVIDUAL
PROCESSES AND EXTERNAL OUTSIDE SYSTEM
PROCESSES
IT IS VALUABLE TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON
ACTIONS INSIDE THE ORGANISATION THAT ARE
ABOUT
ENHANING GOOD PRACTICE AND POLICY AS WELL
AS
CHALLENGING POOR PRACTICE AND POLICY
Discussion: Can we identify SPECIFIC,
achievable actions to promote dignity
and worth in workplace
• What actions could
‘enhance’ promotion of
dignity and Worth?
• What actions needed to
‘challenge’ failure to
promote Dignity and
Worth?