Anti-discriminatory Practice Whole Module PDF

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Whole module lecture notes covering anti-discriminatory practice module for first year Social Work. Module Code SOW4019....

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Social Work Anti-discriminatory Practice Reflection “A social work practice that does not take account of oppression, and the discrimination that gives rise to it, cannot be seen as good practice, no matter how high its standards may be in other respects. ..good practice must be anti-discriminatory practice” Thompson, N. (2012, p.9)

Reading list Thompson, N. (2012) Anti-Discriminatory Practice, 5th ed (Read fully) Thompson, N. (2011) Promoting Equality: Working with Diversity and Difference. 3rd ed (Read relevant chapters)

Current Discrimination Knowledge Discrimination is treating someone or a group of people as inferior or different due to a trait or group they belong to. This can be because of race, sex, disability, religion etc. Many people are discriminated at some point in their lives. As a Social Worker it is important to practice anti-discriminatory practice.

Example You arrive home from university this evening and a family member or a friend informs you that a Person has just moved in next door to you, and describes them as an older, disabled, German, lesbian female. In this situation I would feel that the woman was likely to be discriminated against.

Archetype and Stereotype

Archetype - A set of typical characteristics and expectations we associate with a particular person or group. Stereotype - A fixed and rigid set of ideas about a person or group If you have preconceived ideas about someone and you are unwilling to change, this is stereotyping. If you are willing to change your opinion when new evidence is shown, this is archetyping. Negative stereotypes can be dangerous as they may be acted upon.

Roots of Discrimination Seeing difference as negative, problematic, inferior or a deficit. USing power negatively means treating the person unfairly because you believe you are superior. Processes of Discrimination Stereotyping

A fixed and rigid set of ideas about a person or group

Marginalisation

Treating someone as though they are on their own and not important

Invisibilization-

making a group of people ‘invisible’. Not discussing, not showing in media etc.

Infantilization

Describing adults as children to indicate lower status “go and see the girls in the office”

Welfarism

Tendency to see groups as in need of welfare because they are in a particular group, eg elderly people

Medicalization

Describing someone as ill e.g. describing all people with learning disabilities or dementia as ill. Portrays as less powerful

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and in need of support. Dehumanization

Treating people as objects and using language to make them seem not human e.g. the disabled

Trivialization

Process to maintain discrimination. Eg. people reducing sexism to a debate about whether a man should hold a door open for a woman. Downplaying the issue to make it seem trivial.

Prejudice

The thoughts and feelings behind the prejudice without considering the relevant facts. It is a biased and intolerant attitude towards particular people or groups. An opinion or attitude which is rigidly and irrationally maintained even in the face of strong contradictory evidence.

Therefore… Discrimination is the ‘process’ of treating someone differently in an unfair way (less favourably) because of their membership of a particular group.

Relationship between Discrimination and Oppression Oppression is continuous discrimination embedded in social structures. It is the ‘outcome’ of the process of discrimination and involves a systematic denial of rights. Society is ordered to favour certain people for example a white british man can face discrimination but as he is a majority and society is organised to favourite white people and men therefore he will not experience oppression. Everybody can experience discrimination but not everyone can experience oppression. Therefore, oppression is prolonged unjust treatment and it has to be applied to a whole group. For example, women, homosexuals, muslims etc can be oppressed. In a same sex relationship if one partner dies the other is not entitled to the whole pension amount for the deceased, however they are in an opposite sex marriage.

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Main categories of discrimination and forms of oppression Discrimination

Oppression

Gender/Sex

Sexism

Colour/ethnic/race

Racism

Sexual orientation

Heterosexism

Age

Ageism

Disability

Disablism

Class

Classism

9 Protected features (Equality Act, 2010) ★ Age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation

Anti-discriminatory Practice (ADP) Any thinking, approach or action that challenges and seeks to reduce, undermine or eliminate discriminatory processes (and thereby oppression). Challenges have to be made in practice, in the actions of other professionals/people, in the actions of agencies/organisations and in the daily lives of service users and carers. Anti-discriminatory and Anti-oppressive Practice Forms of Oppression

ADP & AOP

Sexism

Anti-sexist

Racism

Anti-racist

Heterosexism

Anti-heterosexist

Ageism

Anti-ageist

Disablism

Anti-disablist

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Classism

Anti-classist

“We are either part of the problem or part of the solution. There is no middle ground.” The Power of Language Exercise Statement “The old need more support”

Saying old has negative connotations and it categorises them saying that they cannot support themselves therefore it should be changed to some elderly people may require more support.

“The girls in the office offer a good service”

This is Infantilizing the women in the office and making them sound inferior. I would change this to the women in the office are hard-working.

“It is blacklisted”

It is categorising someone with negative connotations therefore it should be changed to he is currently unable to receive credit. This is better as it means there is less stigma and is not categorising.

“It’s okay to tell a white lie if it does not harm someone”

This suggests that lies are okay so it should be changed to sometimes it is acceptable to tell a white lie if it does not harm anyone. This leaves it to interpretation.

“Let’s elect a new chairman of the company”

This suggests the chairperson is a man and therefore should be changed to chairperson to make it not gender specific.

“Imran is a dyslexic”

This suggests Imran is defined by his diagnosis therefore it could be altered to Imran has received a diagnosis of dyslexia. This allows him to not be defined by it.

“She is the black sheep of the family”

This excludes her from the family and suggests she is inferior for being different. This could be challenged by saying she does not have a good relationship with her family. This could come from either side and does not place judgements.

“Mary is a paranoid schizophrenic”

This label is set out as a definition of her. Instead you could say she has received a diagnosis of diagnosis. This means the label has come from outside and it does not define her. This allows it to be challenged also.

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“The elderly are slow walkers”

This is a generalisation and has negative connotations saying that all elderly people walk slowly. Instead you could say some elderly individuals have reduced mobility. This is beneficial as it removes the generalisation.

“Tom is wheelchair bound”

This can be seen as problematic because it is narrowing him down to his wheelchair and allowing it to define him. This can be changed by referring to him as a wheelchair user, which refers to a part of him and not him as a whole.

Inequality - 25/10/16 Social Justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. In a socially just society everyone would be treated equally, fairly and not experience discrimination. A socially just society would be an egalitarian society. Social Injustice is not having equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. In a socially unjust society some people and groups of people would be treated unequally, unfairly and would experience discrimination. Inequality describes a situation where an individual or group is in a state of being unequal in some respect. e.g. in relation to Perceived status, income, wealth, work, resources, power, value and worth. We have Local, National and Global Inequalities. Inequality has begun to rise.

Reading guide for Injustice Brap (2015) Warwick-Booth, L. (2013), Marmot (2010) & Picketty (2014)

For every 1 white british person seeking work in Birmingham there are 2.9 Black African

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people looking for work.

National Stereotypes There are a variety of National stereotypes within a country for example, people from South are typically more wealthy and higher class. If an individual suffers from stereotyping due to where they live, this is prejudice. This is socially created and is typically fiction.

Evidence for Inequality in the UK Sex/Gender In 2008 12% of directors in the Top 100 companies in the UK were female compared to 88% being male. In 2016 this figure rose to 26% of female directors. Colour Police stop and searches in 2014/15 showed that the likelihood of stop and search by police for black people was 4.2x more likely compared to white people. (StopWatch, 2015) Ethnic Group The proportion of the Adult Social Care Workforce in England from Black Ethnic minority backgrounds. 2.5% of social service directors were black individuals - 148 white people, 4 black people. 21% of Direct Care workers were black individuals, 79% were white individuals. They are underrepresented in higher power roles, but overrepresented in normal work positions. (12% of population in 2012 were black) Sexual Orientation Ability In 2012, 46.3% of working age disabled people were in employment compared to 76.4% of working non-disabled people. Young people with learning difficulties and disabilities are twice as likely to be unemployed or not in education or training than other young people. http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/publications/our-research/research-reports/

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Causes of Inequality ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Differences in Income (Premier league footballers earn £44,000p/w) Wealth & resources Education Social processes/ Social structures Negative attitudes/persistent discrimination

Stratification (Giddens, A. (2009) Chapter 11) Stratification refers to the existence of ‘structured inequalities’ between different groupings of people in society. Society can be seen as consisting of ‘strata’ in a hierarchy with the more favoured groups at the top (rich, male, white, young. Heterosexual, etc) and the less privileged (poor, women, black, old, homosexual, etc) at the bottom.

Social Exclusion (Giddens, A. (2009) Chapter 12) Social exclusion describes situations where people are cut off from full involvement in or pushed to the margins rather than being included in the mainstream of wider society. This prevents individuals or groups from participating fully in the economic, social and political life of the society in which they are located.

Theoretical Framework for Social Inequality and Structural SW Structuralism (Read Mullaly, 2003). Society consists of Physical, Organisational & Attitudinal Structures. People with economic and social power have determined that some social features are more valuable and therefore superior to others (Payne 2005, 237 – 240 Structural SW).

Structuralism Social Feature

More valued, powerful and advantaged

Less valued, powerful and disadvantaged

Gender

Male

Female

Colour/Race

White

Black

Class

Middle/Upper

Working

Age

Young/Adult

Old

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Ability

Able-bodied

Disabled

Sexual Orientation

Heterosexual

Lesbian/Gay

Demonstrating how discrimination and oppression are socially constructed. Impacts of inequality includes higher rates of mental illness, lower life expectancy, lowered trust, higher murder and imprisonment rates. Hurst (2004), Wilkinson and Pickett (2010) and The Equality Trust (2012)

Thompson’s PCS Analysis This is a ‘conceptual framework’ to enable us to develop a clearer understanding of how discrimination and oppression can feature, exist and operate not only in personal interactions but also at wider cultural (e.g. established norms) and structural (institutionalised social divisions and power relations) levels. IT alerts us to the existence of discrimination/oppression at 3 interlinked and interconnected levels- personal level, cultural level, structural level (PCS).

Equality, Diversity & Empowerment - 27/10/16 Equality Four Types of Equality: ★ Equality of persons ★ Equality of opportunity ★ Equality of condition ★ Equality of outcome/result What’s involved in promoting equality? ★ Listening to SU and concerns ★ Treating them with respect ★ Involving them with every opportunity

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★ Not expecting them to have the knowledge ★ Don’t make assumptions or stereotypes ★ Praising, thanking and acknowledging them ★ Recognising their strengths Promoting equality means confronting, challenging and guarding against inequality, discrimination and unfairness in our organisations and in our job roles especially in the way we think, feel and act. Any work aimed at removing disadvantage and discrimination, creating balance, uniformity, fairness and a level playing field. DIversity ★ Cultural ★ Linguistic (getting professional interpreter) ★ Ethnic Diversity emphasises variety, uniqueness, richness and assets. The purpose of diversity is to value everyone as an individual, understand that differences are positives that benefit society and be socially inclusive of all sections of society.

Liberal and radical social work A liberal social worker seeks equality for all and tends to work at the individual level of rights. A radical social worker responds to inequality by challenging and seeking to change powerful social structures and the current social order.

Anti Discrimination (equality & diversity) Rights and Legislation ★ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) ★ United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child !989 (1991)

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★ Human Rights Act 1998 (2000) ★ Equality Act 2010 Section 20 of the Equality Act… Ethnically sensitive practice ★ Ethnically sensitive practice ★ Anti-racist practice ★ Recognises cultural needs ★ Recognises discrimination and oppression The Role of the Social Worker? Higham (2006) argues that professional social workers have to combine multiple roles that balance empowerment and emancipation with protection and support. Social workers need to change as experts by experience and carers exercise more choice by accessing help e.g. assessments/direct payments. Reasons why equality needs to be promoted ★ Social workers have a moral and ethical responsibility to promote social change ★ Social workers need to adhere to the Health and Care professions council regulation ★ As social work students you will need to demonstrate an understanding of the professional capabilities framework The Challenges to Social Worker practice Dominelli argues social workers capacity to advocate or empower service users has been compromised e.g. dependency on the government, timescales and target driven. She criticizes Local Authorities that endorse government perspectives - Grammar school, citizenship and the prevent agenda. The WISE Model of ADP/AOP ADP/AOP (Williams, 2004) ★ Welcome ★ Imagery

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★ Support ★ Empowerment These principles enable you to be proactive and preventative of Discrimination/Oppression during practice rather than discriminatory/Oppressive. They also enable the practitioner to react and to tackle existing Discrimination & Oppression Welcome Actively welcoming of diversity in society and especially those individuals/groups who are at risk of Discrimination & Oppression e.g. if we are working with someone from the Jewish community it will be helpful when interacting with them, if we learn something about Judaism and Jewish culture and history. We should seek to discover the importance of the Jewish identity to them, their unique lifestyle within this broad framework and then be sensitive and respectful of that identity. Image Compared with the positive images often portrayed within capitalist organisations (e.g. the powerful business person or the happy family) sometimes we use negative images of disadvantaged people within health and social care e.g. the frail older person, or the dependent disabled person. Often we have negative images in our minds often drawn on unintentionally and without consciousness. ADP/AOP requires us to avoid negative imagery and stereotyping and to portray positive images that reflect value, equality, respect, dignity and citizenship e.g. not all Jews are rich, not all large people are unhappy about their size, not all disabled people use wheelchairs etc. Support This can be provided to individuals and groups. People at risk of discrimination and oppression may need support to function equally in society e.g. interpreters, access to buildings, aids and adaptations, information and practical support to make or retain

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contact with family, friends and others, effective health care, financial arrangements to pay for needed care etc. When working with individuals, families, groups and communities it is helpful to research and respond to any need to increase their social capital Physical capital = physical objects (cars, houses, land) Human capital = (people and their capabilities) Social Capital The social knowledge and connections that enable people to accomplish their goals and extend their influence. The stock of active connections and social networks among people including: ★ trust ★ mutual understanding ★ shared values and behaviour ★ engagement with others in informal social activities ★ membership of groups and associations It includes all the resources, trust and networks that are constitutive of social capacity and empowerment e.g. parents who belong to a parent-teacher association are more likely to be able to influence school policy than those who are not members. People who actively belong to organisations and/or are actively involved, included and have social relationships within their community are more likely to feel ‘connected’ they feel engaged, able to make a difference. The provision of improved access to social capital for previously socially excluded groups (older, disabled and homeless people, single mothers) has been a central aspect of recent emphasis on social inclusion. Social capital includes useful social networks, a sense of mutual obligation and trustworthiness, an understanding of the norms that govern effective behaviour, and in general other social resources that enable people to act effectively e.g. university students 13

who become active in the student union can build up social capital (skills and connections) that may be useful when finding a job after they graduate. (Giddens, 2006 – chapter 16) Differences in social capital mirror larger social inequalities. In ...