APPENDIX 4
Anti Oppressive Practice
Values
Students are expected to demonstrate that all their practice is informed by social
work values. There are several statements of social work values which are relevant
to assessment of practice and these are outlined below
GSCC Code of Practice
Qualifying social workers are expected to work to the standards of conduct set out in
the GSCC Code of Practice for Social Care Workers. This provides a set of criteria to
guide practice and the statements reflect some core social work values. Students are
expected to work within the requirements of the Code of Practice as a condition of
their registrations as student social workers. Qualifying and qualified workers are
expected to use the codes to examine their own practice and to look for areas in
which they can improve. (It is in keeping with this code that a ‘whistleblowing’ policy
is included at Appendix 11 of this Handbook.) However, we think it is best to regard
the Code of Practice as the minimum requirement for good practice. More ambitious
statements are set out in other documents.
National Occupational Standards
The National Occupational Standards (NOS) begin with a statement of the key
purpose of social work, part of which can be found at the beginning of this Section. It
includes a clear statement of the value base of social work:
‘Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work’
The statement is as follows:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Awareness of your own values, prejudices, ethical dilemmas and conflicts of
interest and their implications on your practice
Respect for, and the promotion of:
each person as an individual
independence and quality of life for individuals, whilst protecting them from
harm, dignity and privacy of individuals, families, carers, groups and
communities
Recognise and facilitate each person's use of the language and form of
communication of their choice.
Value, recognise and respect the diversity, expertise and experience of
individuals, families, carers, groups and communities
Maintain the trust and confidence of individuals, families, carers, groups and
communities by communicating in an open, accurate and understandable way
Understand, and make use of, strategies to challenge discrimination,
disadvantage and other forms of inequality and injustice
ANTI-DISCRIMINATORY AND ANTI-OPPRESSIVE PRACTICE

Working out an understanding of all these ideas will be a continuing task for every
student and every practitioner. Nevertheless, the social work programmes at the
University of Bristol and the University of the West of England are particularly
concerned to develop students’ competence in anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive
practice.

In what follows we explore the concepts of discrimination and oppression and outline
some basic expectations we have of tutors, students and practice teachers in this
regard.
Definitions of Discrimination and Oppression
A possible definition of discrimination is:
The use of power by some groups in society to devalue other groups on the basis of a
perceived difference, be it race, ethnic or national origin, religion, age, gender, class,
sexuality or disability. The consequence is that individuals in such groups are often
treated by others in a patronising way or with personal abuse and face discrimination in
education, employment, housing and service provision.
A possible definition of oppression is:
‘Oppression is…a complex term which relates to structural differences in power as
well as to the personal experience of oppressing or being oppressed. It relates to
race, gender, sexual orientation, age and disability as separate domains and as
overlapping experiences.’
(Phillipson, J. (1992) Practising Equality: Women, Men and Social Work
CCETSW p13)
London,
There is considerable overlap between the two terms in the literature and in practice,
but ‘oppression’ can be seen as more comprehensive and fundamental than
discrimination.
Discrimination and oppression are matters of concern for social workers for three main
reasons.
1.
The first is that social workers have the professional power to act differentially
towards less powerful people.
2.
The second reason is that social work agencies, colleges and universities are as
rife with discriminatory practices as other institutions in our society. So we have
to begin the process of examining our own beliefs and those that are enshrined
in the places that we work, in order to explore the way in which power and
oppression have become institutionalised into the system of beliefs of the
organisation.
3.
The third reason is that many of the problems experienced by service users are
underpinned or exacerbated by structural oppression in society.
Expectations
For these reasons we expect tutors, practice assessors and students to recognise and
understand issues of oppression and discrimination, and to recognise the contribution to
collective damage that is made by ignoring or failing to take up these issues. We
expect that a personal commitment to positive action is made, and that an Action Plan is
made to organise this commitment.
We encourage tutors, students and practice teachers to take a broad approach to
discrimination and oppression, and not to privilege one form over any other and to be
alert to all its possible dimensions.
Developing Understanding
In developing our understanding of the value requirements in general and of identifying,
analysing and taking action against racism, discrimination and oppression in particular,
it is useful to make a distinction between recognising the nature of the problem,
developing a growing understanding of entrenched practice, and developing strategies
to counteract racism, other forms of discrimination & oppression.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF ANTIDISCRIMINATORY AND ANTI-OPPRESSIVE PRACTICE
A Model of Understanding and Action
The three levels of awareness identified earlier in these guidelines have been
expanded into a developmental cycle of six stages of positive action. Entering
the cycle entails making an active choice.
1. RECOGNITION of how
oppression and discrimination are
embedded in our practices
6. EVALUATION of
outcomes, leading to
further recognition
5. ACTION
2. UNDERSTANDING
the impact on those
who suffer the effects
3. COMMITMENT TO ACTION
Accepting personal responsibility
for contribution to the collective
4. DEVISING STRATEGIES
of intervention
At level 1 you are expected to be developing recognition and understanding. You will
need to include this learning in the Practice Development Form and your commentaries.
You are advised to look at the Codes of Practice and see how these link.
At level 2 and 3 you will draw up an action plan as set out below. For level 1 this is a
useful framework to become familiar with. You can identify a practice example and see
if you can link it to these areas.
Suggested Action Plan at level 2 and 3
I
LEVELS OF
RESPONSE
Ii
PERSONAL
ACTION
SERVICE
USER
iii
PROFESSIONAL
iv
AGENCY
V
STRUCTURAL
1 Recognition
E
E
E
E
E
2 Understanding
E
E
E
E
E
3 Commitment
E
E
E
E
E
4 Strategies
E
E
E
E
E
5 Taking Action
E
E
E
D
D
6 Evaluation
E
E
E
E
E
Key:
E
D
=
=
Essential for obtaining professional qualification
Desirable for obtaining professional qualification
Examples of Action Plans
Some examples of Action Plans that could be drawn up at the different levels of
intervention are listed below. They are general and would need to be made specific
in any particular placement. This list is far from exhaustive. The best ideas for action
are going to be those generated by imaginative thinking based on experience within
the placement by student and Practice Supervisor.
Personal
1.
Constantly and actively evaluating the basis for your assessment of
groups, individuals, situations. Are they based on stereotypes and
assumptions, or facts and opinions checked out with users?
2.
Being aware of the potential for using power to enforce individual will
and impose control. Being clear about the legitimate use of authority
and the potential for abuse.
3.
Using supervision to discuss levels of personal responsibility.
4.
Being aware of the potential for language to be used to discriminate and
oppress
Service User
1.
Doing a Community Profile to ascertain for example whether there is
equal access for all the population to your service.
2.
Being aware of the agency's Equal Opportunities Policies and putting
them into action.
3.
Appropriately seeking the user's view of their circumstances, and
making this an integral part of your assessment.
4.
Asking for user feedback on the service offered. Does it meet their
needs?
Professional
1.
Challenging negative or stereotyped views of users, or others in the
community.
2.
Observing and questioning other people's practice.
3.
Using supervision to question the practice of the Team and workplace
in detail.
Agency
1.
Raising issues in Team Meetings or other forums.
2.
Observing aspects of organisation and service delivery; using
knowledge of discrimination to evaluate these; making comment, either
verbal or written (eg placement study), to feed back to the Agency.
3.
Seeking out policies of the Agency that cover discrimination eg antiracist, equal opportunities etc, and evaluate them in practice.
4.
Using supervision to understand the Agency better - its structure, its
written policies, and its unwritten ethos. This includes understanding
organisational and team culture - what is and is not acceptable
behaviour and practice.
5.
Enabling users to challenge policies of the Agency; learning about the
complaints procedure.
Structural
1.
Political action in a community work setting.
2.
Pressure group activity in the voluntary sector.
3.
Enabling individuals or groups to pressurise powerful bodies, eg writing
a letter to an MP or Minister.
Skills involved in raising issues
We can react with fear and anger when our basic assumptions are questioned. Many of
us are prepared to open our thinking to doubt and uncertainty only some of the time, if
at all. Raising issues provokes a level of discomfort, which we can understand through
our own personal experience of how uncomfortable the issues can be. Similarly, we are
all familiar with our own strategies of avoiding this discomfort. Thus the skills needed
for raising issues of discrimination and oppression are those of raising any other difficult,
uncomfortable and personally challenging issues with other individuals, eg timing,
knowing when not to press the matter, and coping with the anxiety, anger and guilt of
inaction.
Many people react unpredictably if they feel threatened. Raising issues can create a
dynamic which can rebound upon the person who raises them. There is also a
difference between raising difficult issues with those perceived as less powerful than
ourselves, and those perceived as more powerful. Students undergoing assessment
are in a specially vulnerable situation.
In addition, students will often have personal discrimination issues, which may be
difficult to disentangle from general discrimination issues. It must be acknowledged that
raising issues in which we have a direct personal interest is extremely difficult.
The position of students from oppressed groups
Oppression and discrimination are multi-faceted, and students may be affected by a
range of oppressions. We focus here on three aspects of oppression which have been
important for students and Social Work programmes, but this is not intended to devalue
other forms of oppression or to create a hierarchy of oppressions.
Students who are liable to experience racism are in a particularly difficult situation, as
they are likely to encounter the discrimination inherent in institutions, mediated through
agencies or colleges, and the intentional or unintentional practices of many individuals
inside and outside the agencies. We think it is important to recognise the special need
for personal support in placements likely to raise issues of racism on a personal level,
and to ensure access to advice and consultation for all concerned. There will be a
consultancy available for Black students during the placement.
Disabled students may similarly experience a specific form of institutional, cultural and
personal discrimination, made more complex by the role of social and health services in
perpetuating disablism. A disabled consultant is available to students during the
placement.
The importance of countering heterosexism has been increasingly recognised in social
work practice, research and education. This includes the provision of support to
students on placement.