The roles of values and advocacy approaches in Irish social work practice: Findings from an attitudinal survey of practising social workers

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
2020-08
Authors
Whelan, Joe
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Association of Social Work Boards
Published Version
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
This paper focuses on the profession of social work in Ireland. It examines the role of values within the profession and the relationship of the profession to independent advocacy groups. The purpose of this has been to explore themes that are of fundamental importance to the profession of social work. The findings presented in this paper are drawn from a quantitative attitudinal survey of practising social workers conducted in the Republic of Ireland in 2016. Sampling was conducted across Ireland within a population of 3900 practising social workers approximately and resulted in 128 responses, 111 of which were complete. In relation to values, overall findings suggested a marked preference for traditional value types with many respondents indicating that the tasks associated with emancipatory values are best placed with other groups in Irish society. In relation to advocacy, the study found that social workers frequently engage in advocacy tasks. However, despite this, it also found that a majority of social workers feel that the tasks associated with advocacy are best placed with other groups in Irish society. The study found that a majority of social workers acknowledge sharing a similar value-base to independent advocacy groups. However, it also suggests that the relationship between social workers and advocacy groups is complex and conflictual. In this respect, it was suggested that while social workers recognise the importance of advocacy groups, they also acknowledge that advocacy groups do not always complement the social work role. Ultimately this study suggests that many practitioners acknowledge that the necessity for advocacy groups in Ireland can be ascribed, in part at least, to the way in which contemporary social work practice is carried out.
Description
Keywords
Social Work , Values and ethics , Advocacy , Independent advocacy groups , Ireland
Citation
Whelan, J. (2020) 'The roles of values and advocacy approaches in Irish social work practice: Findings from an attitudinal survey of practising social workers', Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 17(2), pp. 39-55. Available at: https://jswve.org/download/2020-2/JSWVE-17-2-Fall-2020-full-issue.pdf (Accessed: 4 November 2020)
Copyright
© 2020, Association of Social Work Boards. This article is made available by permission of the Association of Social Work Boards: Whelan, J. (2020) 'The roles of values and advocacy approaches in Irish social work practice: Findings from an attitudinal survey of practising social workers', Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 17(2), pp. 39-55. This text may be freely shared among individuals, but it may not be republished in any medium without express written consent from the authors and advance notification of ASWB.