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What Are Some Of The Roles That Social Workers Have That Are Hidden Within Dominate Discourse?

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What are some of the roles that social workers have that are hidden within dominate discourse? How can you as a social worker challenge the assumptions that are placed on them?
As social workers we have roles and identity which are interrelated due to the privilege position we occupy as professionals and middle working class professionals. These roles are political in order to carry out our professional roles effectively. According to Pease (2010) ‘‘most privileges are not recognized as such by those who have them’’. As social workers in carrying out our job functions we may or may not be aware of these privileges.
Some of the roles that social workers have that are hidden within dominant discourse are: class privilege, middle working class members, power privilege, white privilege, positionality privilege etc. …show more content…

Therefore, social workers must be sensitive about these role privileges and use them positively to improve the image of our profession and the living standards of our clients. When we negatively use these privileges, it can destroy the image of our profession and worsen the living condition of our clients and this will totally be against the principles that guide our practice, one of which state that the social worker must do no harm. Other forms of oppression that social workers can exhibit as we carry out our roles are: racism oppression, classism oppression, Intersectional oppression, religion oppression, sexuality oppression, heterosexual oppression etc. (Pease 2010 p. 12). To be professional, social workers must deconstruct and reconstruct all knowledge and assumptions in order to maintain professional objectivity as we serve our

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