Who's Afraid of Social Justice? Towards Mapping Social Workers' Everyday Social Justice Work

Background and purpose:

‘Social justice’ is not a universal concept; there are remarkable similarities and significant differences in how social justice has been defined and implemented in different societies and eras. The concept of social justice draws attention to institutional arrangements and systemic inequities that further the interest of some groups at the expense of others in the distribution of material goods, social benefits, rights, protections, and opportunities.

Internationally, social work scholars and practitioners agree that social justice is a vital dimension of social work. By extension, social workers are agents of social justice. Despite the wide agreement regarding the centrality of social justice in the discipline of social work, there are various definitions and outlooks when it comes to what social justice means and how it should be practiced. In this presentation we will discuss a study that seeks to contribute and enrich this important discussion from a different and novel standpoint not often explored.

Methods:

The study presented is an institutional ethnography carried in a social services department (SSD) in Israel. Fieldwork included three months of participant observations and individual interviews with the social workers at the SSD. Observations involved participation in professional and supervision meetings as well as ed-hoc consultations. Informal observations included 'deep hanging out' in the department and with staff members. Interviews were conducted with all 37 staff members working at the SSD, including the department manager, three team leaders, 28 social workers in various roles and five semi-professionals working at the department. All in all, about 170 hours were spent at the SSD.

Findings:

We identified a duality in social workers' perspectives regarding social justice. On the one hand, social workers expressed a strong belief in the principles of social justice, recognizing these values as central to the profession. However, when discussing their day-to-day work, participants highlighted the complexities and challenges they face, revealing a significant gap between their ideals of social justice and its practical application in their daily roles. Many participants were even hesitant to label their actions as aligned with social justice, describing the concept as overwhelming and intimidating. This tension between belief and practice underscores the complex relationship that social workers have with the notion of social justice.

Conclusions and implications:

What is the meaning of the gap between social workers' ideals of social justice and their perceptions of their everyday social justice practice? While social workers in our study acknowledged and aligned their professional identity with the core principle of social justice, they expressed apprehension towards the very same concept when it comes to their everyday practice. What is the nature of this gap? And how might it be amended? We will discuss this gap, and its meanings for social work educators, practitioners, policy makers and researchers. By examining these tensions, we wish to contribute to the ongoing discussion regarding the everyday meaning of social work as a profession committed to social justice.

Keywords: social justice, institutional ethnography, social work