Social Work Values : Empowerment, organizational values & professional doxa inside the social work field

Abstract: This study explores the field of social work values in the social work profession. The aim of the study is to explore how social work values are related to empowerment practices and organizational structures inside the social work field. By using the perspective of empowerment and professional doxa these structures inside the social work field are explored in interviews with nine social workers. These nine interviews show how social workers relate to values insides their profession, how empowerment practices are done, and what kind of organizational conflicts social workers may experience. By using the perspectives of empowerment and professional doxa the interviews been analysed and connected to both local and global concerns for the social work field. Many professional conflicts were found by taking these perspectives that are discussed in this study, as for example role conflicts social workers could experience. Other conflicts were those of structural failures that caused harm to client contacts and economic factors that were deemed more important for organizations than good client outcomes.