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The Daily OrangeLetters to the editor
Abstract:
Social work professor responds Caroline Mojonnier's opinion piece on Oct. 15 shared her negative impressions of social work education as gleaned from attending one session of my course, SWK 326: Persons in Social Context....
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Melissa Murphy
posted 10/29/07 @ 4:20 PM EST
I had the opportunity to read the George Will op-ed column that was in the Syracuse Post-Standard last week which discussed the National Association of Scholars (NAS) report. After reading this, I also had the opportunity to read the article in The Daily Orange by Caroline Mojonnier and the Letter to the Editor response written by Dr. Kim Jaffee, associate professor of social work. As a graduate student in the School of Social Work and having years of education and experience in the social work field, I believe it is a duty and obligation to respond and defend the field I have come to love.
The NAS report addressed by George Will and Caroline Mojonnier is a self-appointed group of scholars heavily supported by very conservative political activists. The study that the NAS did loses credibility in the realm of being objective. The very existence of the social work practice serves marginalized people and to separate how policies influence our clients would not be an educational experience. It is known that due to budget cuts on programs and government funded agencies, many social workers are forced to make career changes, get an increase in caseloads due to shortages, and continue to be overworked and underpaid. Just look at the injustices many clients face when these situations occur. We all know that the Republican party is the political party to generally cut taxes and this is the problem that many social workers and their clients have to face.
When the NASW puts "progressive overtones of social justice and social change" in their code of ethics, this is what they mean: social workers advocate for the rights of the clients. If the client is being discriminated against, whether it is through a policy or program, the social worker has a duty and obligation to advocate. Many times our clients are discriminated against and this is why they are referred to us. In the class where the textbook "Direct Social Practice: Theory and Skill" is used, "Fundamentals of Social Work Practice", my professor, advises us to be aware of our values. We can either put our values aside for the rights of our clients, or if because of your values, you find that you cannot help serve the client, you may need to reorganize your decisions regarding your profession. It is your right to disagree with these values, but ultimately you must serve your client and it does not serve the client to discriminate against them when they are already being discriminated against. The School of Social Work prepares us for this and allows us to get into the mindset of understanding discriminatory practices and policies that can hurt the client. In the long-run our focus is predominately on them and I don't believe that's a political concept. It's basic humanity and a human right.
The NAS report addressed by George Will and Caroline Mojonnier is a self-appointed group of scholars heavily supported by very conservative political activists. The study that the NAS did loses credibility in the realm of being objective. The very existence of the social work practice serves marginalized people and to separate how policies influence our clients would not be an educational experience. It is known that due to budget cuts on programs and government funded agencies, many social workers are forced to make career changes, get an increase in caseloads due to shortages, and continue to be overworked and underpaid. Just look at the injustices many clients face when these situations occur. We all know that the Republican party is the political party to generally cut taxes and this is the problem that many social workers and their clients have to face.
When the NASW puts "progressive overtones of social justice and social change" in their code of ethics, this is what they mean: social workers advocate for the rights of the clients. If the client is being discriminated against, whether it is through a policy or program, the social worker has a duty and obligation to advocate. Many times our clients are discriminated against and this is why they are referred to us. In the class where the textbook "Direct Social Practice: Theory and Skill" is used, "Fundamentals of Social Work Practice", my professor, advises us to be aware of our values. We can either put our values aside for the rights of our clients, or if because of your values, you find that you cannot help serve the client, you may need to reorganize your decisions regarding your profession. It is your right to disagree with these values, but ultimately you must serve your client and it does not serve the client to discriminate against them when they are already being discriminated against. The School of Social Work prepares us for this and allows us to get into the mindset of understanding discriminatory practices and policies that can hurt the client. In the long-run our focus is predominately on them and I don't believe that's a political concept. It's basic humanity and a human right.
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MC
posted 10/27/07 @ 11:10 AM EST