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Introduction

It gives me great pleasure to present Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice. Writing this book has not been an easy task, not least for the fact that I emigrated to the United Arab Emirates during the writing of the book and had to cope with changes to lifestyle and routine while getting to grips with a different way of delivering the social work curriculum.

Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice could not have been written at a more appropriate time when the world over, the oppression of people with minority status continues unabated. The outbreak and spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) resulted in the cancellation of events, closure of universities, colleges and schools in many parts of the world. The implementation and in some places the enforcing of social distancing has created what is being referred to as the ‘new normal’ in terms of how we undertake our work and how we engage with service users and each other. Social work is about social connections and during this pandemic, we have seen the creative ways in which social workers have tried to remain connected to their colleagues, service users and communities, while practising within safe guidelines recommended by the government.

If I am anxious about any of these changes to the ‘new normal’, it is that acts of oppression and discrimination may also become the ‘new normal’ because perpetrators can hide behind technology, online and distance processes to keep unsuspecting people out. Access to technology and the internet, and the space to work from home will reveal certain groups in our society as disproportionately disadvantaged. Microaggressions and covert oppression are more likely to go unnoticed during this period because non-verbal cues will be harder to interpret from behind the computer screen or while on the telephone. So, what is my message? My message is one of vigilance for all social workers. Speak out in a constructive way, reach out to understand and support colleagues, friends and service users who are being oppressed by systems, institutions or other people. These are not new requirements; they are core values that underpin our practice and we should not wait for people to lose their lives before we act. The service users we work with rely on us to help them challenge oppressive systems that can result in real change.

This book is about anti-oppressive practice in social work, a concept that can be difficult to understand and confusing to practise. My intention in writing this book is that it will provide social work students with knowledge, skills and values needed to become anti-oppressive in their approach to their peers, colleagues and service users. Although the book is written for social work students, it has wider application to students studying for the allied health professions.

As no single book can address the range of issues involved in becoming an anti-oppressive practitioner, this book serves as a contribution to this broad area of knowledge and practice.

Book structure

Series features

Achieving a social work degree

All chapters are mapped against the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) and the subject benchmark statements for social work. For each chapter, four PCF domains and relevant subject benchmark statements are identified.

Case studies and activities

In this book, I present case studies which, from experience, students find useful because they allow you to explore what you have learned and how it applies to real-world situations. There are many activities that also support your learning through more specific questions about concepts in relation to information discussed under specific chapters. The aim of the activities is to get you engaged in discussion with peers or in silent reflection.

Research summaries

Research summaries have been provided to offer you brief overviews of research, relevant to specific chapters. These are useful pieces of information that further help you to build on your existing knowledge while creating your own list of useful references.

Illustrations

Unusually, I have included a few illustrations in this book to help you understand some ideas which can be difficult to explain using only written text. Again, from experience, visual information can be easier to recall and, for the topics in this book, I believe that visual representation will be held in the memory longer than written text. My appreciation to Harry Venning for the artwork.

Further reading

At the end of each chapter, I have recommended two resources which will assist you to extend your knowledge on areas covered in the chapter.

Content

The book has been strategically divided into three main sections aimed at providing students with opportunities to develop the skills needed to work anti-oppressively. Relevant theoretical concepts are broken down, and the use of case studies and activities should assist the student to reflect on and apply the knowledge they have gained.

Part One: Theories and concepts

Part One comprises five chapters that introduce theories and key concepts around oppression and anti-oppression, valuing diversity, power and powerlessness, and social justice. Some models for practice are proposed and examined.

Part Two: Anti-oppressive practice with individuals, groups and communities

Part Two of the book comprises seven chapters that address anti-oppressive practice with individuals, groups and communities. Gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability, faith and religion are discussed with intersectionality integrated throughout the chapters. The final chapter in Part Two focuses on marginalised groups, and the examples used are refugee and asylum-seeking populations.

Part Three: Developing anti-oppressive practice through learning

This final part of the book, which is also the shortest with three chapters, outlines how anti-oppressive practice can be achieved in practice learning (placements) and post-qualification through learning. Multi-agency working is addressed and strategies for disrupting oppressive practice in multi-agency teams outlined. In Chapter 13, I draw on the key findings from my doctoral research undertaken in 2015. It examines how practice learning settings can perpetuate oppression towards students and service users, and proposes ways in which placement settings can ensure anti-oppressive practice. Importantly, I have offered some suggestions about how students might appropriately challenge oppression during their placements.

Conclusion

I finish the book with some concluding thoughts, summarising the main ideas and dilemmas proposing areas for future research and consideration.