Religious Competence in Social Work Practice: the UK picture

Pentaris, Panagiotis. 2012. Religious Competence in Social Work Practice: the UK picture. Social Work & Society, 10(2), pp. 1-5. [Article]

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Abstract or Description

A key concept that characterizes the modern societies is diversity. Discourse, education,
research and practice have all focused on diversity and equal related implementations.
Diversity is a term that has been described by many scholars over the past three decades
(Meister 2011). The word diverse means different and varied. In every community, whether
large or small, people are different and vary in several ways. Some of the categories in which
people differ from each other are gender, age, ethnicity, culture/subculture, class and religion.
Each category refers to specific characteristics in terms of distinguishing it from the others.
That said, religion, even though it has been given many definitions and understandings, is a
person’s system of faith and worship. Religious diversity is a regular feature of the mod
ernized world and its complex societies (Stackhouse 2011). Prior to that outcome though, on
e should realize that this type of diversity has been a fact throughout the whole world history,
which is characterized by religious traditions and interactions (Aries 1974).
Furthermore, religious diversity is one of the parameters utilized within social work
education, regarding diversity awareness and training. The social work profession is by its
nature respectful to all aspects of human diversity. The Council of Social Work Education
(CSWE) identifies that social work education and practice should reflect nondiscrimination
acts when it comes to religious issues. Additionally, both the National Association of Social
Workers’ (NASW) and the International Federation of Social Workers’ (IFSW) Codes of
Ethics are opposed to discrimination based on religion and hold expectations that social
workers will seek education and understanding of religious diversity, in order to become more
competent.

Item Type:

Article

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Social, Therapeutic & Community Engagement (STaCS)

Dates:

DateEvent
2012Published

Item ID:

10780

Date Deposited:

20 Oct 2014 13:45

Last Modified:

06 Oct 2022 08:37

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/10780

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