Self Determination In Social Work

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“Self-determination is an individual’s right to makes his or her own decisions” (Dolgoff, Harrington and Loewenberg, 2012). An individual has the right to decide what they aspire for themselves. They have the freedom to make choices that they believe are consistent with their life goals. Self-determination allows individuals to advocate for themselves to determine one’s own destiny. Self determination requires “ access to services, access to opportunity and access to power (Dolgoff, Harrington and Loewenberg, 2012). This can often be a barrier, as many individuals social workers provide services to often lack power and resources (Dolgoff, Harrington and Loewenberg, 2012). Self determination is a primary principle in the social work profession, that directly affects each social worker and client we work with. Not only does this affect us on a professional level but a personal level, as well. Each day we are destined to make decisions that affect our lives. As social workers we are presented with unique situations that allow us to help others. However, there are often times that our client’s self determination alters the decision making process. How does a social worker respond to a …show more content…
Therefore, the value of self determination is important in the social work profession as we have professed in our Code of Ethics. We strive to uphold the core values of social work by providing service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence in our practice. Self determination encompasses all these areas as we stress the value of the individual’s we serve. The principle of self determination allows social workers to respect and promote the needs and services a client desires and allows social workers to work with individuals in improve their overall