Social Work and Policy Practice: Understanding the Role of Social Workers

Abstract

The social work profession is a practice-based profession that promotes social justice and advocacy for marginalised individuals. In spite of the fact that the policy practice is considered as crucial component of social work practice, the real participation of social workers in policy practice seems very less. It has a potentially significant influence on social work profession, both as a field of study and an area of practice. History is filled with an evidence showing that the policy practice paved the way for the development of social work profession as people used different social work skills to campaign for the formalisation of the social work profession. Social workers have been held up as exercising substantial power to influence policy being policy implementers (Schorr, A. L. (1985) ‘Professional practice as policy’, Social Service Review, 59(2), pp. 178–96; Scott, W. R. and Davis, G. F. (2007) Organisations and Organising: Rational, Natural, and Open System Perspectives, Upper Saddle River, Pearson Prentice Hall). Social workers having practice experience make them excellent advocates because they understand clearly the challenges confronted by their clients, including clients’ presenting problems, holistic environmental factors, and client strengths that can be drawn on so as to assist them. This article throws light on linkages between social work and social policy, policy practice in social work and role of social worker as a change agent in policy practice.