anti-oppressive practice
Anti-oppressive practice model is based on “structural, feminist and critical theories that confront the social work profession with the need to look for new ways to develop practices and social services for excluded populations” (Barnoff and Coleman, 2007; George et al., 2007 cited by Srrier et al 2009). The purpose of the approach is to change the structure and procedures of services that is being delivered to clients through changes at the legal and political levels (Valteronen, 2001, 2002; Wilson and Beresford, 200; Beresford and croft, 2004, Clifford and Burlk, 2005). This means every organization that comes in contact with vulnerable people need to be involved in this process. Anti oppressive practice cannot be left to a few people or organizations to implement it.
Sakamoto & Pitner stated in their article that the limitation of anti-oppressive perspective (AOPs) in social work lacks focus at a micro and individual level. Social workers should be able to challenge social structures and be critical and challenge the power dynamics in the service-provider/service user relationship. The authors call for fuller integration of critical consciousness in to teaching and practice of anti-oppressive social work perspective. Many social workers work in a micro/individual focused. “The ability for such a focus to address issues related to oppression was called into question with the rise of radical social work in the late 1960s and early 1970s; radical social work laid the ground work for AOPs (Lynn, 1999; Payne, 1997). Anti-oppressive social work perspective calls social workers to challenge structural power with the aim to eradicate it with its various forms of oppression.
As a Social Worker and a Women of Colour, I would be remiss to assume that we live in a society free from oppression. People are discriminated against and excluded on a daily basis because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, age, and class.,. Our clients generally experience oppression on different levels. People are made different; social work clientele are characterized by immense diversity. When there are differences there is always a potential for unfair treatment and discrimination. Anti-oppressive practice should go as far as encompassing all kind of discrimination that may lead to disadvantage, dis-empowerment and oppression. Most of the systems that we work with are very bureaucratic and oppressive to many clients. Working for child welfare, many of the clients have multiple issues ranging from lack of education, mental health, language barriers, and disability. When they face such top down systems many of them feel disempowered and do not know how to navigate the systems that are in place supposedly to support them. I have always wondered whether this system that we have put in place really is anti-oppressive or continue to perpetrate oppressive systems. As a women of colour I struggle with this in my professional and personal life
As social work Dominelli, 2002a stated that social worker should engage in Anti-oppressive practice “aim to provide more appropriate and sensitive services by responding to people’s needs regardless of their social status. Anti-oppressive practice embodies a person-centred philosophy, an egalitarian value system concerned with reducing the deleterious effects of structural inequalities upon people’s lives; a methodology focusing on the process and outcome; and a way of structural social relationships between individuals that aims to empower service users by reducing the negative effects of hierarchy in their immediate interaction and the work they do”.
Sakamoto & Pitner stated in their article that the limitation of anti-oppressive perspective (AOPs) in social work lacks focus at a micro and individual level. Social workers should be able to challenge social structures and be critical and challenge the power dynamics in the service-provider/service user relationship. The authors call for fuller integration of critical consciousness in to teaching and practice of anti-oppressive social work perspective. Many social workers work in a micro/individual focused. “The ability for such a focus to address issues related to oppression was called into question with the rise of radical social work in the late 1960s and early 1970s; radical social work laid the ground work for AOPs (Lynn, 1999; Payne, 1997). Anti-oppressive social work perspective calls social workers to challenge structural power with the aim to eradicate it with its various forms of oppression.
As a Social Worker and a Women of Colour, I would be remiss to assume that we live in a society free from oppression. People are discriminated against and excluded on a daily basis because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, age, and class.,. Our clients generally experience oppression on different levels. People are made different; social work clientele are characterized by immense diversity. When there are differences there is always a potential for unfair treatment and discrimination. Anti-oppressive practice should go as far as encompassing all kind of discrimination that may lead to disadvantage, dis-empowerment and oppression. Most of the systems that we work with are very bureaucratic and oppressive to many clients. Working for child welfare, many of the clients have multiple issues ranging from lack of education, mental health, language barriers, and disability. When they face such top down systems many of them feel disempowered and do not know how to navigate the systems that are in place supposedly to support them. I have always wondered whether this system that we have put in place really is anti-oppressive or continue to perpetrate oppressive systems. As a women of colour I struggle with this in my professional and personal life
As social work Dominelli, 2002a stated that social worker should engage in Anti-oppressive practice “aim to provide more appropriate and sensitive services by responding to people’s needs regardless of their social status. Anti-oppressive practice embodies a person-centred philosophy, an egalitarian value system concerned with reducing the deleterious effects of structural inequalities upon people’s lives; a methodology focusing on the process and outcome; and a way of structural social relationships between individuals that aims to empower service users by reducing the negative effects of hierarchy in their immediate interaction and the work they do”.