Realising Values: The Place of Social Justice in Health Social Work Practice in Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Values are numerous, interrelated and hard to discern in professional practice. This article reports on key findings from research into locating professional values within health social work practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. The research explores how 15 health social workers experience and negotiate value demands when working with newborn infants. A staged methodology underpinned by constructivist grounded theory was utilised to generate theoretical knowledge through two phases of semi-structured individual interviews. The research firmly located health social workers practice in the middle ground of a complex, tension-ridden practice environment with health social workers courageously striving to balance competing requirements. Within a health model influenced by neoliberal policy, key tensions related to challenges faced due to professionals oversimplifying social circumstances in risk-laden situations. This resulted in issues of judgements, bias and racism being a central concern for the participants’ social work practice. Despite these tensions, the place of social justice as a primary organising value was affirmed by the research. A stronger focus on the profession’s values would strengthen the collective voice of health social workers and their identity, in order to better address the systemic drivers of health inequities.

KEYWORDS:

• Values
• value demands
• social justice
• risk
• racism
• constructivist grounded theory
• health social work
• bicultural
• Aotearoa New Zealand

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kelly J. Glubb-Smith

Kelly J. Glubb-Smith began her social work practice in 1997 and has practised social work in both New Zealand and England. She has worked in many fields of social work practice; a significant area of professional interest has been working with infants and children alongside their families in health social work. She is a New Zealand Registered Social Worker. She is a Social Worker in New Zealand, who has been employed as a Lecturer at the University of Waikato since 2011. Primary research focus is on social work values and ethics, risk, violence, health social work, professional identity, bicultural practice and social work education.