Professional identity, legal sanction and legitimate action
Date
2012
Authors
Yu, N.G.
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Conference paper
Citation
Proceedings of the 2012 International Consortium for Social Development Asia Pacific (ICSD-AP) Conference: envisioning new social development strategies beyond millennium development goals, 2012, pp.539-547
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2012 International Consortium for Social Development Asia Pacific (ICSD-AP) Conference: envisioning new social development strategies beyond millennium development goals (27 Jun 2012 - 30 Jun 2012 : Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
Abstract
This presentation, informed by a critical conception of social work's place in society, will problematize the professional identity of social work. The aspirant model of social work has practitioners striving towards achieving the status of traditional professions for their diScipline. The hallmarks of traditional professions include: having a unique body of knowledge, established standards for qualification, a code of ethics, a collective commitment to the betterment of the discipline, and community sanction. Community sanction comes in varying forms, such as a national law regulating the practice like in the case of the Philippines and/or the validation of a sanctioning organisation like the professional association in Australia. In either case, legitimacy derived from the established order forms an integral part of this identity. But what happens in situations where institutionalized practices in the established order pose a threat to human rights and social justice by causing disadvantage, oppression and discrimination or the outright violation of human rights, representing a challenge for social work practice? The immediate answer would, of course, be for professionals to challenge such practices. But what if these practices are entrenched in seemingly intractable structures and systems and are kept in place by policies that limit dissent, with very little room for legitimate professional action?
This paper represents a work in progress of an introductory chapter for an edited volume that I am hoping to put together with colleagues from around the world that examines cases involving extra-legal and illegal action undertaken by professionals and citizens in the pursuit of social justice. We have gathered a good number and selection of cases from different countries. I will be briefly describing some of them. One case, from the Philippines, will be featured in this presentation. The case examples examine the extent to which some actions of professionals and citizens breach the limits. of what may be considered legitimate action within their respective social contexts. The cases pose the question: What constitutes legitimate action in the context of social work? Do actions undertaken to defend human rights no longer constitute legitimate social work practice when they cross boundaries defined within specific socio-historical contexts? Should professionals, concerned with professional legitimacy, confine their actions and practice within such boundaries?
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