"I am committed to healing family dynamics within the child welfare system"
I’m a passionate social worker motivated to promote child safety and familial well-being. Below, I will discuss my commitment to healing family dynamics using a CRT-informed perspective while being self-aware of my power when working in the child welfare system.
Commitment to the Profession of Social Work
Understanding the importance of meeting everyone where they are has a reflection on the quality of care produced. According to Finn (2016), social work through the perspective of distributive social justice requires evaluating the allocation of income, wealth, and power in society in light of its effect on people whose basic material needs are unmet (p.17). Under distributive justice, with an egalitarian perspective, it aims to provide all clientele equal rights, opportunities, and resources. Such an approach aligns with my social work and social justice values, as I recognize the significance of inclusion in practice. For that reason, my career focus has been on healing family dynamics within the child welfare system while decreasing the overrepresentation of minority groups by utilizing a Critical Race Theory lens.
Critical Race Theory provides a framework social workers can use to recognize, analyze, and change power dynamics that maintain institutional racism and reinforce racial inequality (Kolivoski et al., 2014). With CRT knowledge, I can explore the outcomes of how economic justice influences racism and oppression experienced by children and families. Therefore, I am committed to providing equitable services and working with vulnerable children and families in the child welfare system to fulfill the long-term goal of healing and change. Such commitment allows me to reflect on my biases and privileges.
Positionality
Through being CRT informed, I am always mindful and self-aware when analyzing where I have been privileged but also targeted by oppression. According to Finn (2016), our positionality is thus multidimensional and a determinant of our relative power in a given social context. Such exposure informs my practice in understanding the difficulties marginalized communities face. Residing in a low-income community and engaging with the child welfare system, among other personal and professional experiences, has provided me with firsthand insight into the pervasive impact of racism and oppression. According to Kolivoski et al. (2014), social workers must be conscious of their privileged status, which interacts with structural forces, particularly the cross-cultural nature of their client relationship. My understanding of CRT has revealed that individuals are perceived differently due to their societal systems and identities, leading to disparate outcomes. In the Department of Children and Family Services, I have observed the valuable impact that CRT holds on informing social workers to provide equal services. When engaging with children and families, I have prioritized discussing their human rights and validating their lived experiences to create an impact. I strive to use my privilege to help enact equal opportunities and change while continuously valuing the chance to learn from clients.
I have learned the importance and value of empathy and cultural humility in this field, which takes a stance towards how we engage with our clients. I hold social work dear to my heart, and being able to share it with current and future clients will allow me to continue to grow and create significant change.
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References
Kolivoski, K. M., Weaver, A., & Constance-Huggins, M. (2014). Critical race theory: Opportunities for application in social work practice and policy. Families in Society, 95(4), 269-276.