Reinforce core values of social work
AT ITS core, social work’s fundamental principle is to ensure human rights, dignity and respect for all.
World Social Work Day was this year an extra-special event, especially because it coincided with Human Rights Day on Tuesday.
Now, more than ever, it’s the role and function of social work to serve others. This is the core of our profession. Social work celebrates the uniqueness and diversity of the people we serve and focuses on the sustainability of our communities.
World Social Work Day is part of the focus of the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development. This day is celebrated annually on the third Tuesday of March.
Not only is this about celebrating the value of social work and related occupations, but also drawing attention to the core fundamentals of our profession and essential intersectorial collaboration.
Social workers all over the country should reinforce, enforce and celebrate these fundamentals.
This year’s theme of Promoting Community and Environmental Sustainability is of particular relevance in South Africa.
The social work profession wants to acknowledge our community developers, NGOs, CBOs, FBOs and other partners in ensuring services that not only respond to the needs of our communities, but bring about empowerment, capacity building and development.
This is in line with sustainable action. Two such organisations that should be commended are Cradle of Hope and Ebukhosini Bempilo Centre, for uplifting our marginalised communities in Krugersdorp and Soweto.
Thank you to the many organisations that do similar work for our people.
In celebrating World Social Work Day – the fourth-year social work students of the University of Witwatersrand made this a special and memorable occasion by highlighting not only the social work profession, but also the clients we serve.
Nondumiso Gumbi, a fourth-year social work student, and several of her colleagues delivered an apt spoken word by Bobby Lefebre, titled Social Worker.
This poem highlights the attitude of society towards social work and aptly describes our clients and their plights.
These fourth-year social work students represent our future for the profession.
In view of their commitment to serve the community with dignity and respect, encouraging future social work students as well as social workers, it may indeed be deduced that our future is in great hands.
Social workers in South Africa need to be reminded of the oath we took to serve with dignity and respect.
In addition, that it is not for ourselves (non nobis).
We have no choice but to give our best to our people.
Social workers, put your clients, our communities first at all times!
Also, embrace the principles as embedded in the White Paper on Social Welfare of 1997: being rights-based, focused, ensuring democracy and participation and having our eyes clearly set on sustainable action through effective and responsive social investment strategies.
Always know and embrace your value and worth. Stand together against those who bring our profession into disrepute.
Unethical conduct should not be tolerated. Take action! Be courageous, go forth, inspire, be the solution, the example, the role model. Say no to mediocrity!
Imisebenzi yesocial worker iyabonakala!
“…I am a social worker and no, I don’t do it for the money, I do it simply because I still believe in people, and I really hope that you and you and you and you and you and all of you still do too” (closing lines of the poem Social Worker by Bobby-Lefebre). Social Worker and Lecturer Social Work Department, School of Human and Community Development, University of Witwatersrand.