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Community Practice Skills: Local to Global Perspectives resources

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18 ■ COMMUNITY PRACTICE: PURPOSE AND KNOWLEDGE BASE JUSTICE, RIGHTS, AND EMPOWERMENT IN COMMUNITY PRACTICE The eight models of community practice presented in chapter 2 and elaborated in part II of this volume are intended for use as practice reference points. The models illustrate how specifi c practice approaches might be considered as ideal types for comparative purposes (Weber, 1903– 1917/1997). Each model presents different aspects of how community workers engage with communities in a va- riety of locations, cultures, and contexts to work toward specifi c purposes. The models have a twofold comparative purpose: (1) to serve as general guides to practice in or ga niz ing, planning, sustainable development, and progressive change; and (2) to raise questions about the “why” and “how” of different action approaches. All eight models are grounded in a set of principles based on pro- moting social justice and human rights. We provide an expanded discussion of values and approaches in chapter 3; here we introduce the value base related to social justice, human rights, and empowerment. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS Social justice and human rights are critical values for social work and especially for community practice (Dominelli 2007; Finn and Jacobson 2008b; Ife 2006; Reichert 2007). Embedded in these two values are the right to a decent standard of living and the elimination of abject poverty, which we will discuss in relation to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the mission of em- powerment in social work. The profession has both recent and historical pre ce dents on which to build a strong commitment to social justice and human rights. Social justice is one of the six core values identifi ed in the U.S. National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics (NASW 2008). At the international level in 2004, both the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) adopted “Ethics in Social Work, Statement of Principles” (IFSW/IASSW 2008). In addition to the interna- tional defi nition of social work noted above, this document states that human rights and social justice are intrinsic, fundamental elements of social work. Fur- thermore, the document emphasizes human rights, human dignity, and social justice as the primary principles of social work practice (IFSW/IASSW 2008:1– 2). Human rights and human dignity relate to “respecting the right to self- determination; promoting the right to participation; treating each person as a whole . . . within the family, community, societal and natural environments . . . ; [and] identifying and developing strengths . . . of individuals, groups, and com- munities and thus promote their empowerment” (IFSW/IASSW 2008:2)

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