A Human Rights-Based Approach to Justice in Social Work Practice

Abstract

Abstract At the founding of the social work profession, social workers were human rights defenders who sought justice for the people they worked with by advocating for societal reforms and helping people manage everyday challenges in their lives. This book presents a human rights-based approach toward justice in social work practice that is in line with its roots and the intentions of social work’s founders. A rights-based approach seeks to transform societies by creating systems of care premised on respect and dignity for all, always. This approach requires the full participation of impacted individuals and communities to create systems supportive of human rights and economic, social, and environmental justice. Readers will be challenged to think critically about the social infrastructure we have built, who benefits from it, who doesn’t, and how it perpetuates inequities. Justice is framed as the realization of one’s human rights. Using case examples and exercises, readers are guided on implementing and integrating a rights-based approach to justice in their social work practice.