Britney Spears's 2020 testimony about her 13-year conservatorship highlighted ethical concerns surrounding surrogate decision making. Social workers engage with families and clients in conservatorship/guardianship arrangements. However, social work educational programs spend little time preparing students for surrogate decision making and…

This article highlights the importance of social work participation in the political arena through the seeking of elected office. Social workers have a rich history of involvement in political activities, yet little is known about social workers holding elected office. Through a review of the literature, this article has found that social workers…

Social work has a long history of engaging in advocacy efforts in support of vulnerable and marginalized populations, yet there are those that maintain the profession has lost its way in embracing the provision of direct service at the expense of its historical mission. While the literature abounds in articles on many types of social work advocacy…

In recent years, immigrant family apprehensions at the United States southern border have more than doubled. Those wishing to stay enter a complex legal process as they either fight for lawful status or remain unauthorized. The trauma many experienced may inhibit their ability to articulate claims to legal status. Yet several relief options are…

The Council on Social Work Education mandates that students be prepared to work competently across lines of difference. Research suggests that social work programs have inadequate curricula for preparing students to work with LGBTQ+ people, and can be unsupportive of the needs of LGBTQ+ students. Little is understood about the experiences of…

Competent social work practice includes the use of advocacy to promote equal opportunity and justice for all individuals, particularly those living in vulnerable circumstances. Group role-play exercises are an innovative teaching method that can promote advocacy skills guided by social work values and the code of ethics. Group role-play exercises…

In this exploratory study, the professional socialization of 23 clinical social workers based in New England is examined. Building on a landmark framework for understanding professional socialization, this article extends the conversation to assess professional identity among the study participants as well. Findings suggest that clinical social…

Although the human rights philosophy has relevance for many segments of the social work curriculum, the latest version of accreditation standards only includes a few behaviors specific to human rights. This deficit can be remedied by incorporating innovations found in the social work literature, which provides a wealth of material for…

Research on the integration of content about intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the MSW curriculum indicates that social work students may not be adequately prepared to work with this population. This is despite the high prevalence of IDD and the frequency that individuals with IDD and their families present for services in…

This study examined changes among graduate students (N=52) in perception of social worker empowerment and commitment to client empowerment through social justice advocacy. Pre-post data showed that most entering MSW students possessed important beliefs about empowerment for themselves as social workers and for members of oppressed population…