2.2 Rights and responsibilities in conflict

The issues of rights and responsibilities are central to the social work task, and understanding how the law frames social work practice can be important in resolving the dilemmas that arise in practice. Social workers often have key responsibilities for the welfare of children and adults, but they are also required to respect their rights. These responsibilities may coincide where people ask for help; but they can also conflict, where a service user’s interpretation of their own needs does not coincide with the professional’s view. For example, a person with dementia who wants to remain living at home when the professionals feel it is not safe.

It is in these situations that the duties and powers of social workers to intervene in a person’s life are very apparent. Social workers need to think about how to take into account the rights of service users at the same time as working with them to protect their interests. Working with service users in a way that promotes partnership and empowers them is therefore a crucial aspect of social work practice, and you are going to examine these values next.