Response to this Below: China, Great post! Glad to see you point out the "accuracy" aspect of this source of power. A social work practitioner who uses information as their power source must do due di

Discussion - Week 8

Describe how social workers use power resources in their social work practice and advocacy.

Generally, Social workers make use of power to influence for the good of not only the clients they serve but also their community. Power enables them to exert their influence on different stakeholders Their power can help them serve the individuals in society better because then they are able to, influence their behavior more easily and cause the desired change. Their power can also be used to influence policymakers, and this is where their power comes in handy in their advocacy role. The more powerful a social worker is the more he can be able to influence the decisions as well as actions of the policymakers (Rocha, Poe & Thomas, 2010). Their power helps them to gain the authority they need to make the impact they need to make.

Select a type of power resource you would use in your practice and advocacy.

The type of power resource that I would use in my practice is informational power. This is a type of power that is derived from having information that other individuals do not have (Jansson, 2018). This is a power I see myself using because I love knowledge and I love learning. Informational power can be used to influence by providing information that clients need to improve their life and the one that policymakers need to make more informed decisions. Remaining knowledgeable on evidence-based information will help me deliver more value in all the roles that I play in the field.

Describe the ethical issues or concerns in using the type of power resource you selected.

The ethical concern in the use of this power is the spread of propaganda. For informational power to be used to achieve more positive results, it is very important to ensure that the information being given out is accurate, well-founded and from credible sources. This is because when inaccurate information can do a lot of harm, for example, leading individuals to make the wrong decisions which can yield negative results for the people and community.

References

 Rocha, C., Poe, B., & Thomas, V. (2010). Political activities of social workers: Addressing perceived barriers to political participation. Social Work, 55(4), 317–325. 

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.