Practice Model
"Let there be justice for all.
Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all." - Nelson Mandela Person-Centred Approach I entered the field of social work because I always felt compelled to work with people, and I feel that no matter what area of social work I am in, people are at the very centre of my work. To me, this means that each person I work with needs to be approached with respect and integrity and treated as an individual whom knows and understands their own situation best. In my BSW program, it often came up that the ‘client is the expert’ and I completely agree with this sentiment. Central to my person-centred approach is an emphasis on developing trusting relationships and active listening. Each person deserves to have what they say be truly heard in a safe environment and, through conversation, the concerns identified by each person can be addressed and change can be generated. Anti-Oppressive Practice Anti-oppressive practice, which was heavily emphasized in the University of Victoria's BSW program, for me means addressing people’s needs while keeping at the forefront the impact of structural inequalities and oppressions, such as racism and systemic poverty. For example, while few are incredibly wealthy, the majority of Ugandans are living in poverty as both resources and power are highly unequally distributed. An individual’s experience of poverty cannot be attributed to, say, lack of ambition, but rather to systemic oppression by those who hold power and ensure that the income gap is maintained. Addressing structural issues and working towards reducing or eliminating oppression is not easily feasible, especially without long-term investment. But I feel that, at the very least, it is important to always be mindful of the inextricable link between the personal and the structural. CASW Code of Ethics The social work values and ethics outlined by the CASW are at the very heart of my practice model. Every person has individual worth and deserves to be treated with respect. Especially in a country as diverse as Canada, it needs to be emphasized that each individual has human rights, dignity, and deserves access to basic needs and public services. In the continuous pursuit of social justice as a social worker, I need to put the interests of clients ahead of my own and behave in an open, responsible and professional manner. I strive to always be transparent with the people I work with, forge trusting relationships, and consistently respect the right to confidentiality. Also, I aim to continuously learn and develop new skills and ideas as to serve people to the best of my abilities. Strengths-Based Approach I truly believe that every person, family, and community has their own strengths. In my role as a social worker, instead of focusing on their weaknesses, I can help support people to identify ways to create positive change for themselves by assessing and recognizing their strengths. For example, at an individual level, a person who recently immigrated to Canada may come to doubt their own skills and abilities due to issues such as lack of recognition of foreign credentials. Through collaborative conversation, the person’s skills and abilities can be recognized and reaffirmed and how these strengths can be effectively utilized may be realized. At a community level, a rural village in Uganda may experience high rates of avoidable deaths due to transport delays. But by emphasizing the community members' ability to work together and the value of their however limited resources, the village may be encouraged to pursue developing a community emergency transport plan as to avoid future deaths. Self-Reliance and Sustainable Development I feel that my overall objective as a social worker is to support people to create positive and sustainable change for themselves and, in the process, become self-reliant. I really do feel that my goal as a social worker is to essentially work myself out of a job. Especially after my time with CTRC, I recognize that sustainable development cannot be achieved if people are not supported in becoming self-reliant. In my role as a Settlement Worker in high schools with MJMC, I noticed that school staff had, in some ways, been doing too much for newcomer students, which then resulted in dependency. For example, students that wanted to play indoor soccer came to expect that someone would register for them. So instead of filling out their registration forms for them, I would provide only minimal support to students in filling out the forms themselves. And with my HCU projects, community members are encouraged to not wait for and depend on external help to address their issues but rather utilize their own strengths and resources to help themselves. Self-Care I believe that self-care is absolutely vital in my social work practice for without self-care, I could not be a social worker to the best of my abilities nor would I be a happy and balanced human being. If I am overly exhausted and stressed or am consumed with my own personal issues, I do not have the sufficient energy to be able to support others effectively. Even though I find it very difficult to relax, no matter how much work I have to do or how stressed I am, I try to ensure that I take the time to do things that I enjoy, whether it be watching a movie, going for a walk, or taking time to reconnect with my family and friends in Vancouver. |