Promoting Dignity and Worth of People: Implications for Social Work Practice

Abstract

The second pillar of the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development calls on social work practitioners and educators to promote the dignity and worth of people. The scope of this article is to provide a conceptual analysis of the concept dignity and worth of people and to provide a theoretical presentation aimed at encouraging social work students and practitioners to mindfully apply theory taught at universities in this pursuit. In this article dignity and worth are scrutinised, cognisant of the current debate regarding the contextualising of social work and against the backdrop of developmental social work. Human rights, social justice, participation and the recognition of diversity are identified as major contributors to the promotion of the dignity and worth of people. These aspects should not be viewed in isolation, but as interlinked in both social work education and practice. Suggestions will be provided for the promotion of the dignity and worth of people to be reflected in social workers and student social worker’s thinking and actions on a daily basis.