Social Work and Human Rights A Foundation for Policy and Practice [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Reichert teaches social work policy and practice at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.As social work students and practitioners encounter the term "human rights" with greater frequency, there is a pressing need for them to understand its meaning, especially in contradistinction to the related concept of "social justice." This book is an overview of human rights ideas and laws for social workers that stresses the importance of human rights in all types of social work policy and practice. The volume first traces the history and development of human rights from the passage of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and subsequent international documents. In particular, Social Work and Human Rights addresses issues relating to vulnerable groups, including women, children, disabled persons, the HIV- or AIDS-infected population, gays and lesbians, victims of racism, and older persons. The book concludes with indispensable case studies that illustrate the application of human rights theory in real-life settings. These case studies demonstrate how to identify relevant human rights issues and then connect these issues to ethical responsibilities in order to form an appropriate intervention scenario with the client.Foundation documents provide an essential tool for understanding the issues and applying the understanding to concrete social policy advocacy and action.A human rights compass—a preliminary guide for the translation of human rights for social workers.... It is to be welcomed.As soon as this text is published I will adopt it.... The day-to-day applications of articles contained in an international policy instrument, such as the right to health care and nutrition, assist social workers in their lobbying efforts with government... This is a text which is overdue for social work students and faculty.Reichert makes human rights concepts come alive.... Practice case examples and humal3!