Читать книгу Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice - Prospera Tedam - Страница 70

It is important for social workers to understand how service users, carers and family members respond to a lack of power. Equally, it is vital that social workers acknowledge and reflect on their own use of power when working with the different groups of service users. The uses and abuses of power permeate all professional practice spheres and, as Gardner (2008, p50) stated, power can easily be abused, but exercising power is not intrinsically oppressive.

When we share power with the families and communities we work with, this can result in positive outcomes for all involved. It is, however, important to remember that the misuse of power at all levels (individual, organisational and systems) can impact negatively on the experiences and outcomes for service users.

In the following section, I will discuss the uses and abuses of power in the areas of child safeguarding, mental health and homelessness.