Social Justice One of the Biggest Issues

Social Justice

One of the biggest issues that all social workers will face is a host of ethical challenges. This is because their jobs require continuously becoming involved in situations where there will be conflicts between values and regulations. To deal with these challenges requires that everyone is conducting a self-analysis. This will be accomplished by taking a community values tour, examining our own values and the code of conduct for 21st century criminal justice social work. Together, these different elements will provide the greatest insights as to how these issues can be overcame. This is when social workers will be more effective in addressing a host of situations. (Dolgoff, 2011, pg. 109)

If you were to organize a "value tour" of your community, where would you go? What values would you highlight? What impressions might participants take away from the tour? How would you engage participants in critical reflection on their experience?

The most logical place to conduct any kind of virtue tour of the community would involve going to: a church, the police department, the library and small cafes. The reason why these locations were selected is because they provide the most balanced view of the morals inside the community. The different values that could be highlighted during this process includes: honesty, hard work, supporting each other, individuality, logic, creative thinking and respect for the law. Participants of the tour will be able to understand specific morals and the effects that they are having on everyone around them. This is when they will be able to grow as a person (by having a better comprehension for a host of events). The way that you would engage participants is to encourage them to talk about themselves. This will help them to feel as if their ideas are respected and understood (which is leading to a transformation in how they are seeing these events). It is at this point that they are more cooperative in working with different parties. (McCoyd, 2010, pp. 114 -- 115)

Reflecting on your own values, what life experiences have posed the greatest challenges to your values? What institutions beyond the family shaped your values? How have your values evolved or changed as a result?

The life experiences that posed the greatest challenges to my values are: the continuing stress from constant changes and difficulties during times of hardship. The reason why is because these two factors change who we are as people. During these kinds of situations, is when I am able to take these events and use them to transform into someone who is more ethical. This will help me to: see different perspectives and understand the impact on various parties. ("Values Ethics and Visions," n.d.)

The institutions beyond family that shaped my values include: school, life experiences, the media and employers. The combination of these factors is determining the kind of activities I am involved in. Over the course of time, this will transform how I am looking at a host of ethical related situations. The way that this has changed my values is to provide a greater sense of understanding and compassion. The combination of these factors will help in working with clients by: seeing the different perspectives and creating a solution that is taking into account various concerns. ("Values Ethics and Visions," n.d.)

Based on your review of a number of codes of ethics, what would you include if you were to write a code of ethics for the 21st century justice social work?

The most critical elements that would be a part of any kind of 21st century social work include: striking a balance between the needs of stakeholders, creating a series of actionable guidelines that everyone can utilize on a regular basis and flexibility. The combination of these elements is important, because they will provide a basic foundation for social workers to use that will deal with a host of challenges. The way that this will be accomplished is to provide everyone with a background of taking these concepts and applying them to specific situations. This will reduce any adverse impact on: the families, the individual and the community. (Bogo, 2006, pp. 114 -- 141)

For example, when a social worker is interacting with a client they will have to take into account the needs of: their family, the community, the different regulations and the long-term impact on everyone. The problem with most codes of ethics is that they will offer general guidance. However, they are doing nothing to address specific issues that could have an impact on different stakeholders (which may not have been covered). (Bogo, 2006, pp. 114 -- 141)

If the code of ethics can be altered, it will create a situation where everyone has more flexibility through giving social workers a range of choices. This will enhance their ability to use common sense and create win -- win solutions that will benefit the entire community. Once this occurs, is when there will be a transformation in how everyone is interacting with each other on a regular basis. This is the point that solutions can be introduced which is taking into account the needs of various stakeholders. (Bogo, 2006, pp. 114 -- 141)

How do the five key concepts of meaning, context, power, history and possibility suggest a framework for valuing?

The key concepts are providing a basic foundation for understanding how to react to a host of events that are impacting social workers. In the case of meaning, this is changing the way they are analyzing the situation by looking at different viewpoints. This will have an impact on the context by shifting the underlying thoughts about different areas. When this takes place, there will be a greater sense of power (which is influencing the outcome). History will help in achieving these objectives by creating a background for reaching out to the different parties. These different elements are showing how this will create a framework of values. This is when morals can be shifted and adjusted, through understanding how to use these concepts in conjunction with each other. ("Values Ethics and Visions," n.d.)