Running Head: Literature Review aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa a aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa
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Week 6 Assignment
University of Walden
SOCW 6301
April 8,2023
Literature Review aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa a aa aa aa aa a aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa
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In the social work setting, the role of social justice is of paramount importance. It acts as
the chief principle that guides social workers to overcome a diverse range of issues, such
as oppression, discrimination, inequality, etc., that may diminish the quality and
effectiveness of social work. Bláhová (2022) has identified social justice as the ultimate
variable that can help to promote fairness by ensuring that systemic inequalities that act
as chief barriers can be effectively addressed. While operating in the social context, social
workers need to take into consideration the long history of injustice and barriers that
exist at the institutional level so that the fundamental needs of members from
marginalized communities can be considered and appropriate solutions and services can be
designed for them.
Although social justice is an integral component of social work, the issue relating
to social injustice has been perceived for a long time. Organizations and individuals that
intend to achieve social objectives need to understand how elements of social injustice
may invade the system and work processes in diverse ways and increase the vulnerability
of vulnerable individuals and community members (Hosken, 2018). It is instrumental for
social workers to engage in social policy practice while carrying out their functions and
roles at the ground level. For example, professionals need to consider diverse elements at
the local level, such as housing, education, job opportunities, health conditions, and
gender equality, so that they can get an in-depth insight into areas where oppression and
discrimination have the most impact (Pawar, 2019). To promote justice at a macro level,
it is instrumental for social workers to inculcate professional and ethical values such as
integrity and honesty, responsibility, fairness, justice, human dignity, respect, etc. Such
Literature Review aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa a aa aa aa aa a aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa
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values can guide them to play a constructive role in the social setting to bring about
positive change in the community.
Racial inequality has been identified as a persistent problem in the social work
domain, which diminishes the effectiveness and quality of help that is extended to
marginalized community members (Teasley et al., 2022). As social workers act as the
chief agents to promote justice and fairness in society, it is instrumental for them to
integrate the elements of social justice in their work so that their purpose can be
achieved by uplifting vulnerable community members and creating a fair and just world.
Social workers need to incorporate their professional values of social justice into their
work so that the existing problem of oppression, marginalization, and discrimination
against a few can be reduced and mitigated to a significant extent. The integration of
social justice is vital regardless of the vulnerable individual or group that requires help.
Theobald et al. (2021) have identified that the needs of women and children who have
faced family violence can be effectively met by tackling injustices that arise at the policy
level. For example, the challenges and constraints that may arise due to the limited
availability of resources due to neo-liberal policies need to be addressed by integrating
social justice into the work practice.
Based on the exploration of the literature relating to social justice subject, the
research question can be changed and refined in a better way. As the existing pieces of
evidence have shed light on the prevalence of social injustices which have intensified the
issues of oppression and discrimination, the research question can be redesigned to focus
Literature Review aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa a aa aa aa aa a aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa
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on the consequences that have arisen as a result of poor integration of social justice
elements in social work. It can help to explore the identified issue at a more in-depth
level.
Reference
Bláhová, S. (2022). Social justice: the path to unity. SN Social Sciences, 2(8), 128.
Hosken, N. (2018) “Practices of exclusion and injustices within social work education,”
Social Work Education, 37(7), pp. 825–837. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2018.1456519.
Pawar, M. (2019). Social Work and social policy practice: Imperatives for political
engagement. The International Journal of Community and Social Development, 1(1), 15–
27. https://doi.org/10.1177/2516602619833219
Teasley, M. L., Dettlaff, A. J., & Abrams, L. S. (2022). Some Comments on the Notion of
Social Work as a Human Service Cartel. Research on Social Work Practice, 32(6), 710-
713.
Theobald, J., Watson, J., Murray, S., & Bullen, J. (2021). Women’s refuges and critical
social work: Opportunities and challenges in advancing social justice. The British
Journal of Social Work, 51(1), 3-20.
