Definition of the Issue
In social work practice, advocacy is regarded as a crucial idea. It is described as using legal power and political framework to wield influence on the interests of groups and organizations (Nilsson et al., 2011). Scholars have distinguished four types of advocacy: legal advocacy, which involves representing the user in a formal environment, such as a health-review tribunal; self-advocacy, which involves an individual or a body of people speaking up for themselves, a form of equality; group or class advocacy, which includes significant organisations speaking for the interests and privileges of a group of people; and civilian awareness-raising, which involves a qualified advocate representing the user’s best interest.
In defining the specific issue in this case study two, it is important to outline the specific issue being faced by the client. In this case, the clients are facing problems regarding commutation around the city and also, they are facing issues in overcoming the problems of commutation as the case manager is not allowed to help the parents commute to the office locations in the city.
The power structure, in this case, is clearly visible. The system of the city, especially the transportation issue is restricting the parents from meeting their Case Plan Goals. In this case, the parents are being unjustly treated by the authority. The parents are in a position that is lacking in control over the whole situation.
According to the opinion of Hoefer (2016), for social work to be effective, the understanding of the social issue on an individual level and on a social level is very important. In this particular case, the problem is without a shadow of a doubt, an individual problem. However, the issue is also a pressing social issue. As the service is a social service, it is the authority’s duty to properly take care of the needs of the parents. As it can be seen in this particular case, the parents are not being able to meet the requirements of the Plan Goals due to scarcity of transportation and also some of them do not have drivers’ licenses. This situation can be definitely viewed as an individual problem. The individual problem is not being able to fulfil the needs to meet the goals of their respective cases. However, the case is also a pressing social problem. Rural people are often marginalised in terms of transportation and other necessary facilities which in turn lead to poor quality of life (Bock, 2016). This marginalisation is positively a social issue where the parents are not being able to access the locations of the services being provided.
Main Causes of the Issues
As it can be noted, the organisation has barred the case manager to transport the parents to the respective locations and a number of parents are not being able to access the services properly, the organisation indirectly is putting the blame on the individual for not having the access to transportation or even not residing in the city areas. However, it is definitely wrong to blame the service users in this case. The parents who are unable to reach the office locations due to lack of transportation are not completely at fault. The transportation system of the city, connectivity between the cities and the rural areas and the organisation responsible in this case are also important stakeholders.
Who is Affected and How they are Affected?
Apparently, none of the involved parties is being positively affected by this scenario at hand.
In the case of the parents and the children involved, they are being negatively affected by the situation. As the parents are being unjustly treated by the system, not only the parents but also their children are being negatively affected by the situation. As the parents are failing to meet their case goals, the families involved in this case are being negatively affected.
In connecting the particular issue in this case with the dominant form of oppression at play, it is important to discuss the ethical issues. As the service is related to child protection, the structural oppression in the form of care poses an ethical barrier. Social norms that are not always visible on the surface often tend to exclude the less fortunate (Kim, 2021). In this particular case, social norms led the fortunate people to have the thinking that to be able to care for their children the parents should somehow arrange for accessibility to the services. However, with further consideration of the superficial barrier posited by ethical considerations, it can be said that the affected parents are clear victims of structural oppression in the form of inaccessibility.
Privilege and empathy play seriously significant roles in social justice. In this particular case, the oppression can be said to be arising from political structures and also from philosophical ideology. Availability of public transportation and the accessibility to child protection services are both social causes and the parents who are being deprived based on the political decision-making that is leaving them out (Marsiglia, Kulis & Lechuga-Peña, 2021). It is clear that in this case, the lack of understanding of the larger societal issue in these parents’ inaccessibility to services has led to the severity of the situation. The philosophical ideology of individual responsibility is also at play in this situation. The individualistic outlook here has barred the authority here to see the problem in the societal structure. Instead, some of the workers at the Department of Child Safety are locating the problem within the individuals.
Possible Solutions
The individual service user’s problems are interconnected to the larger social problem on multiple levels. The first link is in the marginalisation faced by the parents who do not have a drivers’ license. The second problem can be connected with the social issue of marginalisation of people living in rural areas. Child protection services should be equally accessible to all irrespective of their area of residence, however, the parent living in the rural areas are being left out. The lack of public transportation is a serious social issue that is being ignored here. Public transportation is one of the most important systems in any region. The respective authorities are liable for taking care of the public transportation, however, in this case, many individuals are not able to meet their case plan goals due to the ignorance of the authorities in public transportation.
In advocating for an individual client in this particular case, it is important to first point out the basic issues. Once the basic issues are outlined, which are in this case, the lack of public transportation and accessibility to the office locations, the inequality suffered by the particular clients will be highlighted. Last but not the least, highlighting that the individual is not at fault here, is one of the most important steps for advocating for the individual client.
To advocate for broader structural change, the first intervention is needed on the institutional level. Properly communicating with the organisation about the issue is the first step toward instilling a structural change. Since the organisation works for child protection services, it has a better understanding of the scenario and the particular problems faced by the parents and the families. Thus, taking the issue up to the organisation is important. Afterwards, the issue should also be positively taken up to the relevant authorities for a positive social change.
The most fitting solution for the problem posited by the case study can be in contacting the transport department and also effectively communicating with the organisation to let the case manager help the less fortunate parents with transportation. Keeping in mind the fact that an intervention from the authorities may take time, an intervention from the community level can also be approached. Social media and physical campaigns can be organised to spread awareness about the issue so that people can come forward to help those who are in need.
Conclusion
In conclusion to the above report, it can be said that the situation that has arisen as a problem in this particular case is a result of an individual as well a societal problem. The discussion of this particular problem has also led to clarification regarding the particular situation in Australia in relation to social advocacy and social justice.
19th April 2022
To
The Director-General
Department of Transport
Western Australia
Dear Sir,
Hope this email finds you in good health. I am a Case Manager working with a community-based organisation for child protection services. As I have been working on specific cases with the parents of less fortunate families, some of the social issues have occurred to me during the time. I have noted from the feedback of the parents who are inconsistent in meeting their case goals, that are not being able to access public transport. A huge number of parents belong to less fortunate backgrounds. These parents either do not have a drivers’ license or the public transport is so scarce in their area that they cannot come to the office locations in the city areas. I am writing to you in the hope that you will look into the problem and also take necessary actions on an authoritative level that would greatly help these families in need. As a person in a position of authority, you should be able to intervene in the problem a lot more quickly than other sources of help you can get (Wilkins, 2014). As transportation between the cities and the rural areas is a basic necessity for the people living in the rural areas, your urgent intervention in the matter will help these families a lot. Your positive intervention in this matter will greatly help in mitigating this social as well as individual problem faced by the parents and the families.
Sincerely,
Social Advocate
References
Bock, B. B. (2016). Rural marginalisation and the role of social innovation; a turn towards nexogenous development and rural reconnection. Sociologia Ruralis, 56(4), 552-573. Doi: 10.1111/soru.12119
Kim, H. K. (2021). Care Ethics as a Challenge to the Structural Oppression Surrounding Care. Ethics and Social Welfare, 15(2), 151-166. Doi: 10.1080/17496535.2020.1867877
Marsiglia, F. F., Kulis, S. S., & Lechuga-Peña, S. (2021). Diversity, oppression, and change: Culturally grounded social work. Oxford University Press, USA. Doi: https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=PvwTEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=political+oppression+in+social+work+&ots=_nc5b_uT0Y&sig=07wM1Jw2194_7TqV4xzIjR4w2Bs&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=political%20oppression%20in%20social%20work&f=false
Nilsson, J. E., Marszalek, J. M., Linnemeyer, R. M., Bahner, A. D., & Misialek, L. H. (2011). Development and assessment of the social issues advocacy scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 71(1), 258-275. Doi: 10.1177%2F0013164410391581
Walmsley, J. (2002). Principles and types of advocacy. Advocacy and learning disability, 24-37. Doi: https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=0js9DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA24&dq=+social+advocacy+types&ots=cwl9QCIC9X&sig=fs1G57_xe7TJ5TSIOu9ky8tumgg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=social%20advocacy%20types&f=false
Wilkins, K. G. (2014). Advocacy communication. The handbook of development communication and social change, 57-71. Doi: 10.1002/9781118505328.ch4
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