What should social workers do?
Empower and Advocate for Vulnerable People. According to the Code of Practice for Registered Social Workers in Hong Kong (Social workers registration board, 2013), social worker should “empower people to act on their own behalves” (Basic Values and Beliefs, para 6) as well as “advocate changes in the formulation of policies and legislation to improve social conditions, to promote social justice and general welfare of society” (Principles and Practices, para 50)*. The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (2008) also states that social workers should pay particular attention to the needs of and empowerment of vulnerable people (Preamble, para 1)*.
Definitions of Empowerment and Advocacy
Empowerment …show more content…
The relationship between clients and the advocate is mutual, which means that they work together and exchange ideas in an equal and interdependent collaboration. More specifically, advocacy, not only enable them to participate but also motivate them as well as improve them so as to prepare them to be able to interact with the environment, that is, also a kind of empowerment (Schneider, Lester & Ochieng, …show more content…
Social workers should help people to be able to help themselves, that is, promote the development of their self-help capacity, so that they would be able to solve their problems, meet their basic needs, improve their life quality in the future. However, in the real social work practice, except for self-help capacity, people’s motivation to improve and the external support like policy and welfare are also essential for the changing process (Zhang, 2010).
Empowerment refers to both internal and external change. The internal process, which also called psychological empowerment, is the person’s sense or belief in her ability to make decisions and to solve her own problems (Sadan, 2004). That is, the internal process motivates people to make change and to participate in the changing process. This internal change focuses on the level of a person’s consciousness and sensations. On the other hand, the external change finds expression in the ability to act and to implement the practical knowledge, the information, the skills, the capabilities and the other new resources acquired in the course of the empowerment process (Sadan, 2004). This process is aim at facilitate client’s participation in the changing process and it is a real change which enables a person to take part in the making of decisions that affect his life. Clients’ motivation to change is the foundation of the changing process while their abilities could
Empower and Advocate for Vulnerable People. According to the Code of Practice for Registered Social Workers in Hong Kong (Social workers registration board, 2013), social worker should “empower people to act on their own behalves” (Basic Values and Beliefs, para 6) as well as “advocate changes in the formulation of policies and legislation to improve social conditions, to promote social justice and general welfare of society” (Principles and Practices, para 50)*. The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (2008) also states that social workers should pay particular attention to the needs of and empowerment of vulnerable people (Preamble, para 1)*.
Definitions of Empowerment and Advocacy
Empowerment …show more content…
The relationship between clients and the advocate is mutual, which means that they work together and exchange ideas in an equal and interdependent collaboration. More specifically, advocacy, not only enable them to participate but also motivate them as well as improve them so as to prepare them to be able to interact with the environment, that is, also a kind of empowerment (Schneider, Lester & Ochieng, …show more content…
Social workers should help people to be able to help themselves, that is, promote the development of their self-help capacity, so that they would be able to solve their problems, meet their basic needs, improve their life quality in the future. However, in the real social work practice, except for self-help capacity, people’s motivation to improve and the external support like policy and welfare are also essential for the changing process (Zhang, 2010).
Empowerment refers to both internal and external change. The internal process, which also called psychological empowerment, is the person’s sense or belief in her ability to make decisions and to solve her own problems (Sadan, 2004). That is, the internal process motivates people to make change and to participate in the changing process. This internal change focuses on the level of a person’s consciousness and sensations. On the other hand, the external change finds expression in the ability to act and to implement the practical knowledge, the information, the skills, the capabilities and the other new resources acquired in the course of the empowerment process (Sadan, 2004). This process is aim at facilitate client’s participation in the changing process and it is a real change which enables a person to take part in the making of decisions that affect his life. Clients’ motivation to change is the foundation of the changing process while their abilities could