Respond to at least two of your colleagues. Address one or more of the following in your response:

• Compare your explanations for how your Social Change Projects uphold the mission of the social work profession. What do the similarities or differences tell you about the relationship between social work practice and advocacy?
• Share additional steps your colleagues can take to ensure their advocacy work continues to be guided by the mission and values of the social work profession.
• Highlight steps that your colleagues outlined to ensure their future advocacy work is guided by the mission and values of the social work profession. How will you use these steps in your own advocacy work?

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The mission of the social work profession is bound by core values that are cradled by social workers to enhance the societal well-being and inclusion of necessary services to be rendered to a person or an underserved community (National Association of Social Workers, 2021).

My Social Change Project upholds the mission of the social work profession, because it focuses on helping a marginalized population in the city where I live to obtain the right to services that are being allotted to members within our society which are of the same and different gender (Day, McLeod, & Mogro-Wilson, 2023). My social change project is geared for policy changes that will entitle single homeless females suffering with substance use disorders to receive long-term treatment just as pregnant females and males suffering with substance use disorders are obtaining on a long-term basis, instead of being provided 10-21 days of detoxification (Wenzel, Koegel, & Gelbert, 1996).

The core value of service is the least in my Social Change Project is competence because I must continually strive to increase my professional knowledge and skills by continuing to enhance my cultural sensitivity and cultural competence through engaging members of racial, spiritual, ethical, and economic backgrounds. These actions will be induced by introducing myself to members in leadership positions within the city government as well as potential program participants and actively listening to their input (National Association of Social Workers, 2021).

References

Day, A., McLeod, B., & Mogro-Wilson, C. (2023, August 3). The importance of policy advocacy in social work. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 104(3), 243-244. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894231187908

National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English

Wenzel, S. L., Koegel, P., & Gelbert, L. (1996). Access to substance abuse treatment for homeless women of reproductive age. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 28(1), 17-30. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.1996.10471711

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Project Topic: Addressing the Opioid Epidemic Through Policy and Advocacy

Upholding the Social Work Mission:

The mission of social work is to promote social justice and serve vulnerable populations (NASW, 2021).  My project aligns with this mission by aiming to address the opioid crisis through (1) advocating for policy reforms that expand access to addiction treatment, (2) supporting prevention programs to reduce opioid misuse, and (3) educating communities about the impact of the epidemic on marginalized groups such as the military (SAMHSA, 2022). 

NASW Core Values

One core NASW value that may be least evident with my work this semester is the dignity and worth of the person (NASW, 2021). If the project focuses heavily on systemic issues like policy reform, it may overlook individual experiences of those impacted by opioid addiction. My project could have implemented actions such as personal stories of veterans who are struggling with this issue ensuring their voices are represented in advocacy efforts. This approach can create a more person-centered focus.

Further Steps for Advocacy

Additional steps might include seeking training on ethical advocacy practices, participating in policy forums, and collaborating with professionals to ensure the project is grounded in social work values like dignity and social justice. Additionally, I could run veteran surveys to see how addiction services are accessible to the military population at the Veterans Affairs Hospital (Jansson, 2018). 

Reference

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.

National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English