Human Rights in Social Work Practice
Reconstructed Practice Reflection (Human Rights Focus)
I think about my time working with Michelle and her daughter Marie. I saw how hard it is for people who`re homeless and have mental health problems to get the rights they deserve. Michelle had been homeless for three years and was struggling with her mental health. This made it even harder for her to feel safe and secure.
When I was working with Michelle I felt really emotional. I felt bad for her. I was frustrated that she could not get a safe place to live.. I knew I had to be professional and make sure I was helping her in the best way I could. I had to remember that my job is to help people like Michelle get the rights they deserve not to feel sorry for them.
I thought about what Kübler-Ross said in 1969 about loss and grief. Michelle was going through a lot of things like not having a home not seeing her family and not being able to live the life she wanted. She was separated from her children, who were living with her mother.
From a human rights point of view Michelle should have a place to live access to healthcare and support for her family. These are rights, not just things that might happen if we can make it work. I learned about rights from my classes and from talking to my group about how to make sure people get the rights they deserve.
When I was working with Michelle I tried to help her get support. I helped her get assistance so she could pay her bills. I also asked for help for Marie and the organization gave us money to buy equipment to help her feel more comfortable at home.
I think I did some things to help Michelle and Marie but I could have done more. I could have used the human rights framework clearly. For example I could have used the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to make a case for why Michelle and Marie needed help.
This experience taught me that I need to make sure I am using a human rights framework in my work. I cannot just rely on my feelings and reactions. When I was working with Michelle and Marie I was able to make some changes but I also saw that I need to do more to make sure people get the rights they deserve.
I learned a lot from my classes and from working with Michelle and Marie. I know that I need to go beyond solving immediate problems and work to address the bigger issues that affect peoples rights to housing, education and wellbeing.
In the future I want to make sure I am using a rights-based approach in my work. I want to make sure that everything I do is grounded in human rights principles and supported by laws and policies. This will help me be an advocate for people, like Michelle and Marie and it will help me make sure that people get the rights they deserve.
