The Joined-Up Writing of Self-Determination
In the previous two articles I've raised questions about the nature of confidentiality and suggested that this is not a subject which should be taken for granted.
Confidentiality is rarely a means of safeguarding the privacy of residents: it can create a dangerous climate of secrecy. It can conflict with the fundamental values which determine the nature and quality of residential social work. Consider 'Self-Determination'.
Self-determination has emerged as one of the primary agendas of children and adults with disabilities. It is a simple concept. It basically means freedom to be - to be who you are, with likes, dislikes, hopes, dreams. And the freedom to strive to be - to create a positive future and motivate yourself to achieve it.
People with disabilities have learned to voice their demands, to insist they have a right not to be patronized, have a right not to be treated as unable or incompetent, have a right to education, a productive role, relationships, and a positive future. They have a right not to be pushed around. They have a right to get to the top of the stairs. They have a right to have their abilities valued.
Residential care takes many forms and is provided for a wide range of people - from babies to the elderly, from the fit to the frail, from those who enter care 'voluntarily' to those who are sent into it.
No form of residential care can turn its back on the need to pursue self-determination. Self-determination is a basic human right, and the role of social workers and their provider agencies must be to promote it at all stages.
The very nature of social work, in the field or within institutions, is to enable, is to assist individuals and communities achieve positive change. That means enabling and empowering them to make their own decisions and set their own goals. It means being positive and affirmative.
By definition, it is a learning exercise.
Learning that change is possible, that the present can be the springboard for a better, changed future.
Learning to set achievable goals for change - learning to season realism with idealism and effort - then learning how to achieve these goals.
Learning how to value and how to evaluate - defining the positive options, measuring success in achieving them, and understanding the constraints and barriers which restrict achievement.
And learning is for both the social worker and the client. This is the essence of creating learning communities. Change should be an experience the social worker shares with the client. If the teaching fails, don't blame the learner: change the teaching.
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