SOCE 6361: Discussion: Power in Social Work Practice
Power in Social Work Practice is the topic of discussion.
Social workers are in the business of emancipating and empowering others. They are also frequently confronted with power structures that are entrenched and difficult to maneuver through and around. The many different types of power resources that exist are recognized by skilled policy practitioners, allowing them to broaden their options in specific situations.
During your training as a social worker, you will learn a variety of strategies for building and expanding personal networks, which will be useful when negotiating your policy practice within an organization. Instead of being viewed as tools of coercion and force, you want your power resources to be seen as effective ways to get things accomplished.
You will identify power resources (including person-to-person, substantive, process, and procedural power) that you can use to influence decision makers and secure the adoption of a policy proposal in this Discussion.
PREPARE THE FOLLOWING:
Examine Chapter 10 of the Jansson text for more information. In the policy-enacting task, pay particular attention to Jansson’s categorization of different types of power resources. – B. S. Jansson, et al (2018). How to become an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice advocacy (8th ed.). Cengage Learning is a company that specializes in online learning.
Chapter 10, “Developing and Using Power in the Policy-Enacting Task” (pp. 328–371), discusses how to develop and use power in the policy-enacting task.
This week, take a look at the article by Rocha et al. that can be found in the Learning Resources. (ATTACHED)
Decide on a type of power resource that you would employ in your practice and advocacy activities.
Look for and select at least one additional scholarly article (that is not from the Learning Resources this week) that is related to the power resource that you identified in step one. You will use this article to Help you in explaining your choice.
BY THE THIRD DAY
Please provide a brief explanation of why it is critical for social workers to be familiar with power dynamics when working with decision-making authorities. Include the following information in your description:
In your practice and advocacy, identify the power resource that you have chosen to use in your work.
Explain why you chose the resource you did.
What is the mechanism by which this power resource works to influence decision makers?
Why is this particular power resource more appropriate for your approach to practice and advocacy than other similar power resources available?
Describe any ethical issues or concerns you have with regard to the type of power resource you chose to use.
Make sure to include specific references to this week’s resources, as well as the additional scholarly article you chose, in order to properly support your post. Please include complete APA-formatted citations for all of your references.
BY THE FIFTH DAY
In your response, mention at least two of your colleagues who identified and selected a power resource that was different from the one you chose. One of the following should be addressed:
Explain how the power resource that your colleague chose would either strengthen or challenge your ability to advocate for policy in relation to the social problem that you chose to use for your Final Project in the course, the Social Change Project, and why you chose it.
Explain how the power resource you chose might affect your colleague’s ability to complete his or her work.
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Discussion: Power in Social Work Practice
Social workers are in the business of empowering people. They are also often faced with power structures that are entrenched and difficult to navigate. Skillful policy practitioners recognize the many kinds of power resources that exist, thus expanding their options in specific situations.
As a social worker, you will learn various strategies that can create and expand personal networks that might be useful in negotiating your policy practice within an agency. You want your power resources to be recognized as effective ways to get things done, not as tools for coercion and force.
For this Discussion, you will identify power resources (including person-to-person, substantive, process, and procedural) that you can use to influence decision makers and secure the adoption of a policy proposal.
TO PREPARE:
Review Chapter 10 in the Jansson text. Focus on Jansson’s categorization of types of power resources in the policy-enacting task. – Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Chapter 10, “Developing and Using Power in the Policy-Enacting Task” (pp. 328–371)
Review the article by Rocha et al. in the Learning Resources this week. (ATTACHED)
Identify a type of power resource you would use in your practice and advocacy.
Search for and select at least one additional scholarly article (not from the Learning Resources this week) related to the power resource you identified. You will use this article to help explain your selection.
BY DAY 3
Post a brief description of why it is important for social workers to be familiar with power dynamics when working with decision makers. In your description, address the following:
Identify the power resource you selected for use in your practice and advocacy.
Explain the resource you selected.
How does this power resource work to influence decision makers?
Why is this power resource more appropriate for your approach to practice and advocacy than others?
Describe the ethical issues or concerns in using the type of power resource you selected.
Be sure to support your post with specific references to this week’s resources, as well as the additional scholarly article you selected. Provide full APA-formatted citations for your references.
BY DAY 5
Respond to at least two of your colleagues who identified and selected a power resource different from the one you selected. Address one of the following:
Explain how the power resource your colleague selected would strengthen or challenge your ability to advocate for policy regarding the social problem you selected to use for your Final Project in the course, the Social Change Project.
Explain how the power resource you selected might impact your colleague’s work.
