Final Exam Review SOWK 250

Values and Ethics in Social Work

Important Definitions

• Values

  • Ideas about what we believe is preferable or ideal.

  • Standards to define good or bad.

  • General guidance for behavior.

  • A set of values becomes a value system.

• Ethics

  • Related to what we consider correct or right.

  • Generated standards of behavior.

  • Described as "values in action."

  • Microethics: Guides direct practice.

  • Macroethics: Guides organizations and social policy.

• Standards

  • A requirement of moral conduct; a rule used as a basis for judgment.

Foundation of Social Work Values

• Shift from emphasis on individual morality to emphasis on the morality of the social work profession (practitioners and the actions of the profession).

• Social work values reflect beliefs about:

  • Commitment to quality of life for all.

  • Change.

  • Social Justice.

  • Intrinsic dignity and worth of humans.

Value Context of Social Work

• Society.

• The social work profession.

• Systems where practice takes place (agency).

• The client system.

• Value-laden nature of personal and social problems.

• The social worker.

NASW Code of Ethics

• 1947: First adopted.

• Updates: 2008 and 2017.

• 2021: Last update to include self-care and cultural humility.

• Legitimizes the profession, produced by NASW, guiding licensing and performance.

• Written in general terms; provides a philosophy of the profession and a model of professional behavior.

• Framework for ethical decision-making; prescribes expectations for professional conduct.

• Provides standards for assassin competence.

• Does NOT tell you what to do in every situation; instead, it encourages discussions to avoid bias in decision-making.

The Code of Ethics: Preamble

• “The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic needs of all people with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.”

• “The profession's dual focus on individual well-being in social context and well-being of society…. attention to environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living.”

NASW Ethical Values

• Value: Service

  • Principle: Help people in need.

• Value: Social Justice

  • Principle: Challenge social injustice.

• Value: Dignity and Worth of the Person

  • Principle: Respect the inherent dignity and worth of all individuals.

• Value: Importance of Human Relationships

  • Principle: Recognize the central importance of human relationships.

• Value: Integrity

  • Principle: Behave in a trustworthy manner.

• Value: Competence

  • Principle: Practice within the area of competence; develop and enhance expertise.

Social Work Code of Ethics – Standards

The NASW Code of Ethics outlines responsibility:

• 1. To clients.

• 2. To colleagues.

• 3. In practice settings.

• 4. As professionals.

• 5. To the social work profession.

• 6. To the broader society.

Ethical Principles

• Acceptance: Show dignity and worth.

• Individualization: Recognize and appreciate individual differences.

• Purposeful Expression of Feeling: Express feelings to explore next steps.

• Non-Judgmental Attitudes: Presume acceptance; do not judge as good/bad or worthy/unworthy.

• Objectivity: Examine situations without bias.

• Controlled Emotional Involvement: Use empathy; connect with feeling but not the situation.

• Self-Determination: Clients make their own choices.

• Access to Resources: Social workers need to advocate.

• Confidentiality: Right to privacy, except when there is a threat to self or others or in cases of abuse.

• Accountability: Must be competent.

Conclusion

• Know yourself.

  • Reflect on how your own values influence your perception and decision-making abilities.

• Respect the diversity around you and surround yourself with professionals willing to discuss ethical issues.

• Remember, the Code is a framework to guide decision-making, not a set of rules.

• Contextualize practice which may need different boundary considerations.

CSWE Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) 2022

Social Workers MUST be Trained In:

• Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior.

• Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice.

• Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice.

• Competency 4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice.

• Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice.

• Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities.

• Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities.

• Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities.

• Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities.

Technology Standards

• Updates in 2017 addressing social workers’ use of electronic technology to:

  • Provide information to the public.

  • Design and deliver services.

  • Gather, manage, store, and access information about clients.

  • Educate and supervise social workers.

Social Media & Social Work

• Social workers are responsible for the creation, maintenance, and evaluation of their online identity.

  • The Code of Ethics holds social workers to higher standards.

  • The overlap between personal and professional identities online presents risks.

  • Ethical considerations include:

  • Dual relationships.

  • Boundary violations.

  • Violations of privacy/confidentiality.

Social Work in Practice

Poverty, Homelessness, Unemployment, Criminal Justice, Health, & Mental Health

What is Poverty?

• Dictionary Definition: The state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor.

• Various methods exist to analyze, measure, and understand socioeconomic status and poverty.

How is Poverty Measured?

• Absolute Poverty: Refers to the income required to meet basic needs.

  • Defined by the relationship between income and expenses; poverty occurs when income is below a pre-determined threshold.

  • Poverty Line: An absolute measure (basic food needs multiplied by an index).

• Relative Poverty: Concerns individual perceptions of wealth in comparison to others.

  • Examines how individuals perceive their own wealth relative to others in the same context.

• Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM): Differs from official poverty measures by assessing all financial resources, including:

  • Liabilities (e.g., unpaid taxes).

  • The value of in-kind benefits (e.g., food stamps).

  • Out-of-pocket medical expenses (often elevated among older adults).

  • Geographic variations in housing costs.

• Poverty in the U.S.:

  • Poverty Rate (2015): 15.5%.

  • High poverty rates especially among children and female-headed households.

  • Impacts both rural and urban dwellers.

  • Generational cycles of poverty are difficult to break, linking closely to education and opportunity.

  • Many poor individuals are employed full-time in low-paying jobs—poverty is not a choice.

• Ethnicity and Race Distribution:

  • 41.5% of people in poverty identify as non-Hispanic white.

  • Overrepresentation of minorities and BIPOC families in poverty statistics:

  • 24.1% Black.

  • 21.4% Hispanic.

  • 11.4% Asian.

  • 9.1% Non-Hispanic White.

Impact of Poverty

• Examination of short- and long-term biopsychosocial effects of poverty on:

  • Children.

  • Adolescents.

  • Adults.

  • Older adults.

Theories of Poverty

• Individual View: Blames individuals for their impoverishment.

  • The myth of a “culture of poverty”: Changing individual behaviors will eliminate poverty.

• Structural View: Holds society responsible for systemic conditions giving rise to poverty.

  • Identifies structural issues that entrap individuals in poverty.

  • Emphasizes that poverty traps the poor and creates barriers to upward mobility including institutional discrimination affecting racial, ethnic minorities, and women.

• Social Work Emphasis: Center on empowerment-oriented supports to assist individuals in achieving self-sufficiency.

Service Response to Poverty

• Head Start (National Initiative):

  • Provides early childhood education.

  • Offers health services.

  • Includes nutritional assistance.

  • Connects individuals with social services.

• Project Wise (Local Initiative - Denver):

  • Focus on personal, interpersonal, and political empowerment.

  • Individual counseling and group support.

  • Assists women toward economic self-sufficiency.

Words Matter

• Homelessness vs. Houselessness:

  • Define Houselessness as a temporary situation of being unhoused, such as living in cars, tents, or with friends/family.

Risk Factors for Houselessness

• Correlated factors include, but are not limited to:

  • Economic and social stressors, e.g., job loss, poverty, low wages, medical debt.

  • Domestic violence.

  • Substance use disorders and mental health issues.

  • History of incarceration or disabilities.

  • Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

Measuring Houselessness

• Point-in-time counts are conducted to assess the number of those houseless on a specific night, likely underestimating the total number.

Social Work’s Response

• Advocate for affordable and adequate housing options:

  • Questioning whether the housing-first approach is effective.

  • Advocacy for housing subsidies.

  • Enhance linkage between housing, income assistance, and income support services.

  • Support prevention programs for education and job training.

  • Promote living wage policies.

  • Recognize how houselessness correlates with economic factors:

  • Lack of affordable housing.

  • Poverty and low income.

  • Social issues, e.g., substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence.

Unemployment

• Measurement:

  • Derived from a monthly survey of random households.

  • Current methodologies often underestimate the number of unemployed individuals since they count only active job-seekers.

• Current BLS Statistics (January 2024):

  • Unemployment Rate: 3.1% or approximately 6.1 million Americans affected.

• Impacts:

  • Extends to family relations, leading to issues like separation, divorce, and mental health effects.

  • Associated with low-wage jobs not providing adequate benefits.

• Unemployment Benefits:

  • Include unemployment compensation and workers' compensation.

• Employee Assistance Programs:

  • Offer counseling for personal and family issues, stress, and transition support due to job loss.

Criminal Justice

• Components:

  • Law enforcement: Police, FBI, investigators with embedded social workers.

  • Prosecution and defense: Attorney roles in different contexts.

  • Courts: Limited social worker presence in judicial positions, though roles available within the court system.

  • Correctional institutions: Social workers can provide mental health services, therapy, and probation roles.

• Imprisonment Rates (2015):

  • Black Adults: 1,745 per 100,000.

  • Hispanic Adults: 820 per 100,000.

  • White Adults: 320 per 100,000.

  • Black males are six times more likely, and Hispanic males three times more likely than White males to be incarcerated.

Forensic Social Work

• Areas of social worker involvement include:

  • Policy changes.

  • Court testimony and roles in juvenile courts.

  • Probation and parole services.

  • Social work roles within correctional facilities.

  • Victim assistance programs.

Health Settings with Social Workers

• Settings Include:

  • Hospitals, medical clinics, insurance companies, home health agencies, long-term care facilities, mental health organizations, and rehabilitation clinics (physical).

Public Health Social Work

• “Public health social work practice uses a research-based epidemiologic approach to identify and address social problems that affect the health status and social functioning of population groups.”

Hospital Social Work

• Discharge Planning: Arrange home health services.

• Patient Education:

  • Discuss advance directives, living wills, power of attorney, treatment options, and community resources.

Healthcare Social Work

• Roles:

  • Participate in interdisciplinary team settings: treatment meetings, and ethics committees.

• Advocacy:

  • For insurance coverage or program eligibility and support for ill individuals and families.

• Services Provided:

  • Emotional support, resource navigation, grief, and bereavement services.

What is Disability?

• “The ADA defines a person with a disability as one who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.”

Social Work and Disabilities

• Categories include:

  • Developmental disabilities.

  • Later onset disabilities (e.g., acquired disabilities and aging).

• Disability Models:

  • Social Model of Disability: Focuses on societal problems and advocates for universal design.

  • Medical Model of Disability: Sees disability as a condition to be treated or cured.

Mental Health

• Uses the DSM-5 for diagnosis and evidence-based behavioral health treatments.

• Trauma-Informed Care: Notable ethical and legal issues include duty to warn and crisis management procedures.

Substance Use

• Total intake and assessment, development of treatment plans, and facilitation of counseling—individual, family, group.

Social Work in Practice: Families, Youth, Adults, and Aging Services

What is a Family?

• Variability in norms across family structures depending on culture and geography.

• Common definitions include:

  • A married couple and their children or “a constellation of persons related by blood, marriage, or adoption.” (Dubois & Miley)

  • Defined as units seeing their relationships as familial and assuming responsibilities of family membership (NASW).

Common Variations of Family

• Nuclear: Consists of a cisgender man and a cisgender woman with their biological children.

• Single Parent: Household with one parent.

• Blended: Families combining different family structures, including stepparents and half-siblings.

• LGBTQIA+: Concept of ‘found families.’

• Multigenerational: Households with extended family members, such as in-laws or grandparents living together.

• Grandparent-Headed: Households led by grandparents caring for grandchildren.

Social Work Advocacy for Families

• Focus areas include:

  • Full and equitable employment.

  • Education for early childhood and family life.

  • Quality care for children and older family members.

  • Affordable housing.

  • Paid family and medical leave.

  • Comprehensive healthcare services.

  • Same-sex marriage and adoption rights.

  • Family-centered prevention and treatment approaches addressing neglect and abuse.

Child Maltreatment

• Present across multiple sociocultural contexts.

• Defined as “any recent act or failure to act by a parent or caretaker that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or neglect posing imminent risk of serious harm.”

  • It is important to differentiate circumstances such as housing instability from maltreatment.

Types of Child Maltreatment

• Physical Abuse.

• Emotional Abuse.

• Child Neglect: Involves withholding necessary resources.

• Sexual Abuse: Defined incidents and reported rates, e.g., 9.2 cases of maltreatment per 1,000 children (2017).

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

• Defined as traumatic childhood events such as abuse, neglect, or exposure to violence that increase future risks for health and behavioral problems, although many can be prevented.

• Definition: ACEs arise from children's exposure to traumatic events, including maltreatment, economic hardship, substance use disorder in parents, and parental separation or incarceration.

• There are opportunities for preventing ACEs through safe, stable, and nurturing environments essential for childhood development.

• Notably, resilience is the ability to adapt successfully to adversity.

Mandatory Reporting

• Social workers are mandated reporters:

  • Must know state-specific legal requirements.

  • Understand indicators of child abuse and neglect.

  • Maintain detailed, accurate records.

  • Reporting is separate from investigating—only report what is seen or heard without direct investigation.

Child Welfare Systems

• Networks of services designed to protect children and strengthen families, shaped by state and federal laws.

• Components of Child Welfare:

  • Child Protection Services (CPS).

  • Family Support and Preservation.

  • Foster and Kinship Care.

  • Family Reunification efforts.

  • Youth Transition for Young Adults.

  • Adoption services.

  • Advocacy.

School Social Work

• Provide supportive services for children and families through schools.

• Work collaboratively with educators and link families with community services.

• Address educational needs and screen for developmental problems—requirements may vary by state.

Other Youth Services

• Include social work with homeless youth, victims of sex trafficking, and efforts for youth empowerment.

Services for Adults

• Services addressing:

  • Bereavement and grief support.

  • Employee Assistance Programs (EAP).

  • Services for military and veterans.

  • Caregiving needs.

  • Intimate partner violence (IPV).

  • Substance abuse treatment.

  • Elder abuse prevention.

Employee Assistance Programs

• Goal: Address life issues impacting productivity and job performance.

• Offer services through the workplace, often contracted through third-party providers.

Military Social Work

• Focuses on family separation issues, mental health concerns, and support for active-duty personnel.

• The VA is a significant employer of social workers, while military social workers must be enlisted.

Caregiving for Adults

• Approximately 43 million adults provide unpaid care, predominantly by women.

• Many caregivers face employment disruptions caused by caregiving demands.

• Demographic shifts indicate fewer children lead to fewer available caregivers.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

• Accounts for a significant portion of violence: nearly 15% is through intimate partners.

• One-quarter of women and one-sixth of men report IPV experiences.

• Types include:

  • Physical and sexual violence.

  • Stalking.

  • Psychological aggression.

IPV Service Responses

• Services range from transitional support to shelter assistance, advocacy, counseling, and child services.

Elder Abuse

• Forms include physical, emotional, sexual, neglect, and financial exploitation.

• Adult Protection Services investigate reports with differences from child protective processes, such as voluntary acceptance of services by clients.

• Social workers need to navigate client autonomy while ensuring protection.

• Legal determinations may be needed regarding mental competence.

Range of Services for Older Adults

• Social support for maintaining independence in older adults.

• Community services targeting frail older adults or those needing institutional care.

• Age-friendly community initiatives to support diverse needs.

Diversity and Oppression

Identity

• Identities: Include visible (e.g., skin color) and invisible (e.g., socioeconomic status) aspects.

• “Subordinated groups interpret reality differently from the dominant group” (Swigonski) necessitating double consciousness for survival.

The Isms - Key Power Differentials

• Racism: Ideology that subordinates racial groups.

• Elitism: Prejudice based on economics.

• Sexism: Belief in superiority of one gender.

• Heterosexism: Bias against non-heterosexual orientations.

• Ageism: Discrimination based on age.

• Ableism: Prejudice against individuals with disabilities, with terminology evolving from outdated terms such as handicapism.

Basis of Social Injustice

• Social Darwinism (Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner): Advocates for minimal interference in natural selection that favors those deemed 'fit' and disallows support for those considered 'unfit'.

• Conflict Theory: Proposes that conflict and struggle define societal power dynamics and resource distributions.

• Structural-Functionalism: Claims social stratification serves specific functions in society.

Mental and Other Theories of Social Injustice

• Attribution Theory: Recognition that individuals perceive causes of issues based on personal experiences.

• Defense Mechanisms: Individuals project their flaws onto others to avoid self-reflection.

• Blaming the Victim: Attributing social problems to personal defects rather than addressing structural causes.

• Just World Belief: Lower levels of social activism frequently correlate with strong beliefs in a “just world,” leading to victim-blaming narratives.

Effects of Injustice

• Oppression: Denial of equitable opportunities and resources based on majority/minority power hierarchies.

• Dehumanization: Indifference towards human suffering that strips away dignity and personhood.

• Victimization: Attributing blame that fosters feelings of helplessness and alienation.

Mandate for Social Justice

• Ensure equitable access to resources, advocate for improved social conditions, and promote broader participation in democratic processes.

Acknowledging Diversity

• Goal of Social Work: Incorporate a critical perspective and recognize intersectionality in client identities.

• Transitioning from concepts of cultural competence towards cultural humility fosters understanding of diverse identities as integral to effective practice.

• Recognize diversity within diversity:

  • Racial, ethnic, cultural, and minority identities; socioeconomic implications.

Responses to Dominance

• Acculturation: Minorities adopt dominant culture traits while retaining some of their own.

• Assimilation: A process where minority identities disappear into the dominant culture.

• Accommodation: Identifies stable coexistence that maintains cultural characteristics.

• Marginality: Pushing from both minority and majority cultures, leading to acceptance struggles.

Cultural Identity and Intersectionality

• Maintaining cultural identity is a goal for many; shaped by language, religious beliefs, appearance, etc.

• Intersectionality plays a significant role in understanding how overlapping identities affect experiences of privilege or oppression.

Cultural Pluralism

• An approach favoring mutual respect for differing cultures, promoting strengths and integrity without prejudice or hostility.

Foundations for Multicultural Practice

• Critical Theory: Examines reciprocal influences between societal structures and individual experiences.

• Critical Race Theory: Analyzes systemic racism perpetuated through social structures.

• Standpoint Theory: Valued based on understanding individuals' perspectives through their social locations and experiences.

Developing Critical Consciousness

• Understanding how identity impacts access to opportunities and how oppression limits resources calls for empowering individuals to seek liberation and challenge systemic inequities.

• Empowerment addresses exploitation and promotes equality. Through cultural humility, social workers can embrace multi-faceted identities and pursue advocacy effectively.

Social Work, Social Justice, and Advocacy

Social Work and Social Justice

• A just society ensures every member has equal rights, opportunities, and benefits.

• Social Work's Role: Actively promotes a just society through advocacy.

Human Rights

• Universal entitlements fundamental to human dignity; rights that cannot be granted or taken away, only violated.

Categories of Human Rights

• Civil and Political Rights: Legal rights enabling fair treatment.

• Social and Economic Rights: Concern access to basic needs and resources.

• Collective Rights: Group rights necessary for communal advocacy.

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

• Distinction between ensuring democratic engagement and protecting personal freedoms.

• Guarantees against discrimination should be upheld by both law and practice.

Rights to Social Welfare

• The evolution of the social welfare system initiated during the U.S. Industrialization period shaped access to support and services.

• The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides comprehensive rights including education, work, and adequate living standards.

Theories of Social Justice

• Libertarianism: Prioritizes individual liberties without government oversight.

• Utilitarianism: Advocates for the greatest good for the greatest number, often overlooking inequities.

• Egalitarianism: Promotes equal access across resources and opportunities.

Advocacy Mandate

• Social workers serve to address social injustices through advocacy, legislation, community education, and resource development aimed at disenfranchising populations.

Social Policy

• Definition: Principles guiding actions that shape citizens’ lives.

• Purpose: Maintain order and provide regulatory guidance across societal contexts.

• Process:

  • Involves identifying issues before formulation, necessitating information gathering for implementation.

  • Outcomes include enacted legislation, executive orders, and administrative decisions.

• Integration of policy with direct practice is vital in the fields of practice, agency guidelines, and social services.

Political Ideologies and Their Impact on Social Work

• Liberal Views: Support fundamental human rights and equality.

• Conservative Views: Tend to attribute issues to personal behaviors, suggesting limited governmental roles.

• Radical Views: Push for significant systemic changes addressing inequalities.

Advocacy Mechanisms

• Implement efforts that align with clients' needs, promoting both personal and collective well-being through strategic advocacy at micro and macro levels.

• Focus:

  • Identifying issues collaboratively with clients and communities.

  • Researching and assessing to inform strategic goal setting.

  • Evaluating the impact of advocacy activities in terms of beneficiary outcomes.

Organizational Advocacy Dynamics

• Advocacy has evolved since the 1950s, varying considerably across organizations due to funding dependency, illustrating the necessity for advocacy across all sectors of practice.

Conclusion

• Advocacy remains an intrinsic component of social work practice and can be applied personally and professionally, underscoring the need for tools to give a voice to the marginalized and challenge systemic barriers effectively.

• The overarching aim remains to promote social change through collaboration, empowerment, and respect for client agency.

• Ultimately, the Social Work Profession endeavors to enhance human functioning while targeting the needs of those who are vulnerable, oppressed, or impoverished.

Social Work’s Mission

• NASW Definition (2018): “Enhance human well-being and assist individuals in meeting their needs, with special attention to vulnerable groups.”

Social Work’s Goals

• To enhance individual, familial, group, organizational, and community social functioning.

• Linked to resources and effective operation of the social service delivery network while advocating for social justice via policy development.

Client Systems: Micro, Mezzo, and Macro

• Micro-Level: Focused interventions with individuals or families aimed at behavioral modification or relationship enhancement.

• Mezzo: Engagement with formal groups and organizations to enact change or improve outcomes.

• Macro-Level: Interaction at community or societal levels to address systemic change.

Definitions Continued

NASW Code of Ethics: Social Work Values

The NASW Code of Ethics outlines core values that guide professional conduct, emphasizing empowerment and social justice. The textbook discusses these as foundational to social work, integrating them with empowerment-oriented practice.

• Core Values: Service (helping others), social justice (challenging inequities), dignity and worth of the person (respecting individuality), importance of human relationships (building connections), integrity (ethical behavior), and competence (professional knowledge).

• Book Context: Values promote human rights and well-being, with social workers affirming diversity, collaborating with clients, and addressing structural barriers (p. 108-109 on values and professional social work). These values frame empowerment as enhancing client competence and creating humane systems.

NASW Code of Ethics: Who Are Social Workers Responsible To?

The Code specifies ethical responsibilities across multiple levels, ensuring accountability in practice.

• Responsibilities: To clients (promoting self-determination and confidentiality), colleagues (respect and collaboration), practice settings (ethical policies), the profession (upholding standards), and broader society (advocating for justice).

• Book Context: Social workers are accountable for facilitating change collaboratively, not imposing solutions, and addressing personal troubles as public issues (e.g., poverty as a societal concern). This includes partnerships with clients and colleagues to empower marginalized groups.

Oppression

Oppression involves systemic power imbalances that limit opportunities and dehumanize groups based on race, class, gender, etc.

• Definition and Impact: It results in marginalization, limited resources, and recursive relationships between individual actions and social structures.

• Book Context: Discussed in empowerment frameworks, oppression interrupts well-being and requires social workers to confront inequities through advocacy and structural change (linked to diversity chapters).

Dehumanization

Dehumanization strips individuals or groups of human qualities, often through stereotypes or systemic neglect.

• Definition and Examples: It occurs in contexts like discrimination, where people are treated as less than human, contributing to social problems like violence or inequity.

• Book Context: Tied to oppression and social justice, where empowerment counters dehumanization by affirming dignity and human rights. Social workers address this by celebrating diversity and linking personal power to political action.

Blaming the Victim

This concept attributes social problems to individuals' faults rather than systemic factors, perpetuating inequality.

• Definition and Critique: It ignores structural causes (e.g., blaming poverty on laziness instead of economic policies).

• Book Context: Critiqued in discussions of poverty and oppression, encouraging social workers to shift focus to societal responsibility and empowerment.

Learned Helplessness

A psychological state where individuals feel powerless due to repeated failures or oppression, leading to passivity.

• Definition and Application: Stemming from experiences of control loss, it affects marginalized groups and requires empowerment interventions.

• Book Context: Linked to oppression and poverty views, where social workers build client competence to overcome helplessness through strengths-based approaches.

Structural vs. Individual View of Poverty

• Individual View: Poverty results from personal failings (e.g., lack of effort, poor choices).

• Structural View: Poverty stems from societal factors (e.g., discrimination, unequal opportunities, economic policies).

• Book Context: The text emphasizes structural views in empowerment practice, addressing "why are people poor?" through systemic analysis (Chapter 11, p. 273). Social workers advocate for policy changes to remedy structural inequities.

Marginality

Marginality refers to being pushed to the edges of society, with limited access to resources and power.

• Definition and Impact: Leads to exclusion and oppression, often affecting immigrants or minorities.

• Book Context: Discussed in diversity and empowerment, where social work aims to integrate marginalized groups through advocacy and resource access.

Assimilation

Assimilation is the process where minority groups adopt the dominant culture's norms, often losing their own identity.

• Definition and Critique: It can be forced, leading to cultural loss.

• Book Context: Contrasted with other cultural adaptation processes in diversity chapters, emphasizing respect for differences in empowerment practice.

Accommodation

Accommodation involves adjusting to the dominant culture while retaining some original traits, without full integration.

• Definition: A mutual adjustment where groups coexist with modifications.

• Book Context: Part of cultural competence discussions, promoting empowerment by affirming diversity rather than forcing change.

Acculturation

Acculturation is the cultural exchange and adaptation when groups interact, often bidirectional.

• Definition: Involves adopting elements from another culture while maintaining core identity.

• Book Context: Explored in immigrant and diversity contexts, with social workers facilitating positive adaptation through strengths-based interventions.

Myths of Homelessness and Poverty

Common myths include viewing them as choices or results of laziness, ignoring structural causes.

• Key Myths: "People choose homelessness," "Poverty is due to moral failings," or Social Darwinism influences.

• Book Context: Debunked in Chapter 11, emphasizing systemic factors like unemployment and discrimination (p. 270-273). Empowerment involves challenging these myths through education and advocacy.

Social Darwinism

Applies "survival of the fittest" to society, justifying inequality as natural.

• Definition and Critique: Used historically to oppose welfare, ignoring social structures.

• Book Context: Critiqued in welfare policy discussions, contrasting with social work's justice focus.

Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory

Critical Theory analyzes power structures; Critical Race Theory focuses on race's role in inequality.

• Definitions: Both examine systemic oppression; CRT highlights racism in laws and institutions.

• Book Context: Integrated into empowerment and justice frameworks, encouraging analysis of inequities (linked to standpoint theory).

Standpoint Theory

Knowledge and perspectives are shaped by social positions, especially marginalized ones.

• Definition: Validates experiences of oppressed groups for deeper understanding.

• Book Context: Supports diversity-affirming practice, where social workers use client standpoints for empowerment.

Advocacy: What Is It and Model of Advocacy

Advocacy is promoting client rights and systemic change.

• Definition: Involves representing clients, challenging injustices, and empowering them.

• Model: The book uses an empowerment model, including assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation, with collaborative action (e.g., conflict model for confronting injustice). Trauma-informed models are also referenced for vulnerable populations.

Self Determination

Clients' right to make their own choices, central to ethics.

• Definition: Social workers support informed decisions without coercion.

• Book Context: Core to empowerment, balancing with protection in vulnerable cases (e.g., ethics chapters).

Informed Consent

Obtaining client agreement after explaining services, risks, and benefits.

• Definition: Ensures voluntary participation.

• Book Context: Ethical requirement in practice, tied to self-determination (p. 108+).

Confidentiality

Protecting client information, with exceptions for safety.

• Definition: Builds trust; breaches only for imminent harm.

• Book Context: Emphasized in ethics, with guidelines for professional conduct.

Poverty: Relative vs. Absolute

• Absolute Poverty: Lacking basic necessities for survival (e.g., food, shelter).

• Relative Poverty: Income below societal average, leading to deprivation (e.g., compared to median income).

• Book Context: Detailed in Chapter 11 (p. 272), linking to structural causes and empowerment interventions.

Dual Relationship and Social Media

Dual relationships involve multiple roles with clients (e.g., friend and therapist), risking boundaries.

• Definition and Issues: Social media amplifies risks (e.g., friending clients); avoid to prevent exploitation.

• Book Context: Addressed in ethics updates, emphasizing professional boundaries in digital age.

Human Rights

Universal entitlements to dignity, freedom, and well-being.

• Definition: Includes economic, social, and cultural rights.

• Book Context: Central to mission, with social workers advocating against violations (e.g., poverty as rights issue).

Civil Rights

Legal protections against discrimination, ensuring equality.

• Definition: Focus on political and civil liberties (e.g., voting, fair treatment).

• Book Context: Linked to social justice, with advocacy for enforcement in diverse populations.

Parts of Criminal Justice (CJ): Law Enforcement vs. Probation vs. Correction

The CJ system addresses crime through interconnected components.

• Law Enforcement: Police investigate and arrest (front-end prevention).

• Probation: Community supervision instead of incarceration, focusing on rehabilitation.

• Correction: Prisons/jails for punishment and reform (back-end).

• Book Context: In Chapter 11, social workers engage across CJ for empowerment, e.g., in probation/parole to support reentry and address inequities.

Environmental Justice

Fair distribution of environmental benefits/burdens, addressing disparities in pollution and resources.

• Definition: Combats eco-racism, where marginalized communities face greater risks.

• Book Context: Integrated into sustainability and justice discussions, with advocacy for equitable policies.

Intersectionality

Overlapping identities (e.g., race, gender, class) compound oppression or privilege.

• Definition: Analyzes how multiple factors intersect to shape experiences.

Book Context: Key to diversity and CRT, guiding culturally competent practice to empower clients holistically.