Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 1) | Page 40

Advocacy 1

Dear Students of Social Work,
Advocacy is certainly one of the key values that social work adheres to. It is
part and parcel of the mission of social work which is to right the wrong or
address social injustice or to uplift the disadvantaged and work towards a level
playing field. It is about working towards a society where one’s opportunities
to improve one’s life is not determined by where you are born and your socioeconomic status. Advocacy is very tied up with the social work role of being
a change agent. There are generally two types of advocacy that social work
is more involved in. One is case advocacy and the other is cause advocacy.

Case Advocacy
Case advocacy is acting on behalf of a client (individual, family or group) in
order to access needed resources, services, or to influence policy change.
Case reports often play the role of case advocacy as social workers put up
a case on behalf of a client to seek consideration for the circumstances of a
client or to provide a form of affirmative action for the client. In advocating,
it is a good practice to involve the client in the process. By doing so, there is
client empowerment and assertiveness taught through modeling. As social
workers, we generally work with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged
populations, and we advocate at the systems level, at the community level
and at the individual and family level.
Advocacy falls along a continuum of involvement and commitment.
So when then does advocacy start to raise awareness and attract attention?
It is usually when it is about social issues and resources. In these situations,
the stakes go up and tensions and competition start. Equilibrium is shaken
and attention rises. Advocacy by itself is neutral. It is the framing of the issue
and the approach which oftentimes determine the outcome. In advocacy,
context matters for constructive discussions and negotiation, be it of values,
resources or timing.

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