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Advocacy Practice for Social Justice 22 {

basic human needs and to develop fully. Social workers should be aware of the impact of the political arena on practice and should advocate for changes in policy and legislation to improve social conditions in order to meet basic human needs and promote social justice. (b) Social workers should act to expand choice and opportunity for all persons, with special regard for vulnerable, disadvantaged, oppressed, and exploited people and groups. The code addresses involving the public in politics in Section 6.02 (NASW, 2017): “Social workers should facilitate informed participation by the public in shaping social policies and institutions.” Thus, social workers have an obli gation not only to participate actively in advocacy themselves but also to em power others to do so. Social work administrators have a specific duty along these lines, too, according to the Code of Ethics: “Social work administrators should advocate within and outside their agencies for adequate resources to meet clients’ needs” (Sec. 3.07[a] ). Many social work historians discuss the beginnings of social work in Europe and the United States as being related to religious institutions, and thus as having a value system connected to Judaism and Christianity (Popple & Leighninger, 2018). Racovita- Szilagyi and Diaconu (2016) argue that “from its inception, the profession of social work has been closely intertwined with the principles of faith and spirituality. The first ‘official’ social work programs were church- based settlement houses and charity or ganization societies that translated the Judeo-Christian faith into action” (p. 1). They believe that the professionalization of social work as a secular profession decreased the ties between religion and social work but that the basic values are still shared. The next section examines what social workers are trying to accom plish with their efforts. Identifying with the goal of social justice can help us all overcome the inertia that seems to keep society and our peers stuck in place.

Social Justice in the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics

The 2017 NASW Code of Ethics sets forth six core values of the profes sion: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. A complete description of these values is beyond the scope of this book, but it is important to take a closer look at the value of social justice because it is the value that most directly encourages advocacy practice.