Anti-Oppressive Practice: Self-determination and empowerment

Question 1

Human Rights:

Answer 1

‘Human rights refer to the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled. They are socially sanction entitlements to the goods and services that are necessary to develop human potential and well-being.’

Question 2

Human rights include (4):

Answer 2

• Political rights
• Civil rights
• Cultural rights
• Environmental rights

Question 3

Self-determination

Answer 3

Self-determination assumes people have the inherent wisdom to know what is best for themselves and make their own decisions.

Goal of self-determination is independence and autonomy.

Question 4

Empowerment in social work involves (6):

Answer 4

• Taking control.
• Goal setting.
• Using and being aware of personal resources.
• Accessing existing community resources.
• Developing skills.
• Being ‘heard’.

Question 5

The process of empowerment (6):

Answer 5

1) Recognition of powerlessness.
2) Development of self and social awareness.
3) Development of skills and knowledge for self-advocacy.
4) Dialogue with others.
5) Social action.
6) Achieving a sense of political identiy.

Question 6

Advocacy definition:

Answer 6

Activities associated with negotiating or representing on behalf of a person.

Note: ongoing use of advocacy is disempowering as is leads to dependency.

Question 7

Social Justice Components (3):

Answer 7

1) Equality in basic freedoms.
2) Equality in opportunity for advancement.
3) Positive discrimination for oppressed or disadvantaged people to ensure equity within society.

Question 8

Inequality:

Answer 8

Unequal access to opportunities.

Question 9

Equality:

Answer 9

Evenly distributed tools and assitance.

Question 10

Equity:

Answer 10

Custom tools that identify and address inequality.

Question 11

Justice:

Answer 11

Fixing the system to offer equal access to both tools and opportunities.

Question 12

Anti-oppressive practice explicitly challenges the abuse of power in relationships and inequalities within (3):

Answer 12

1) The individual level (i.e. a person’s beliefs and actions).
2) The Interpersonal level (i.e. the interaction between people within and across difference).
3) The systemic level (i.e institutional/organisational level; and structural/multi-institutional interactions).

Question 13

Structural empowerment (power redistribution):

Answer 13

• Focuses on empowering a group to act; and ensuring opportunities/resources are available to achieve their goal.
• Creates changes to: service/resource provision; access; policy; legislation; community attitudes; media coverage.

Question 14

Activities of human service workers (10):

Answer 14

• Enabling access.
• Advocacy.
• Offering collaborative choices.
• Developing skills.
• Consciousness raising.
• Facilitating complaints mechanisms.
• Giving full information.
• Ensuring access to information.
• Setting standards & monitoring.
• Facilitating decision-making opportunities.

Question 15

Skills of human service professionals (6):

Answer 15

• Empathy.
• Communication (verbal/non-verbal).
• Interview and questioning skills.
• Active listening.
• Intelligence.
• Intervention/decision making.