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Social Work Ethics, Values, and Advocacy Practice } 33

if you subscribed to an anti- oppression framework for understanding society and social work practice? What would you do then?

In order to address situations such as these in a systematic way, first choose which ethical principles are in conflict. Refer specifically to the NASW Code of Ethics and other ethical codes that may apply, such as those that cover li censed social workers in your state. Ask which principle, in this situation, is more important. Gather opinions from other social workers you trust. In the end, you may need to prioritize one principle over another in order to resolve the conflict.

Conclusion

Although this lengthy discussion about approaches to social justice may seem beyond the scope of a class on advocacy, the reason to include it is simple: If social workers are going to use advocacy to promote social justice, they need to understand what different ideas of the term really mean. Because there are different ideas relating to distributive justice and anti- oppressive practice, and because these alternative approaches have significant impacts on policy, we must explore where we stand in this philosophical debate. The NASW Code of Ethics makes clear that every social worker has the responsibility to advocate for social justice. All social workers must then understand what is meant by the different views of social justice and be able and willing to support the defi nition most in line with their interpretation of social work values. Advocacy by social workers is vital because they have important informa tion about client needs and social justice. Social workers assert that people at the bottom of economic and social ladders should be helped to climb more quickly than people who are already higher on the ladder. Their advocacy is built upon this belief. The remainder of this book covers the most effective ways to advocate for these values to be adopted by decision-m akers and thus translated into policy, laws, and regulations. Each chapter covers one of the steps in advocacy practice. The final chapter summarizes and brings together the lessons from the book.

Discussion Questions and Exercises

1. Do you generally agree more with Rawls or Nozick? Or do you favor the views of anti- oppression framework authors such as Young and