The Purpose Of Structural Social Work Approach

My understanding of what structural social work is concerned with society hierarchies, power imbalance in society and the role the environment plays a role in an individual upbringing. For instance, it looks at ways how the rich are viewed powerful and the poor less inferior. The purpose of structural social work approach is to move what from traditional approaches to social work that were based on the medical and disease model that placed the individual as the problem. Additionally, structural social work approach “links direct work with individuals and families to work with the groups to which they belong.”(Moreau, 1979, p. 80). The central goal of social work is to help the client develop tool to critically use in their personal situation.
Notably, during the 1970s, the structural approach emerged. Maurice Moreau, Ann Davis, Goldberg were among the pioneers that first used it. (Weinberg, 2008). In fact, Moreau a professor at Carleton University’s developed the structural approach practice theory. According to Moreau, structural social work aims to change the client consciousness in so as to reverse the process on internalized oppression.
(1979, p. 54) More specifically being that “structural social work theory is the oldest social work theory which theorizes about the intersections of oppressions “. (Peters, 2012). It focuses on the role of structures and challenging them. Specifically, structural theory is rooted from a socialist ideology, based on critical theory with the notion that society is the conflict. Carniol (1992) outlines the major the major elements of structural social work are Defense, Client- worker Power, Unmasking structures, Personal Change, Collective Consciousness and Political change. According to Mullally (2007), the structural social perspective is based upon that inequality is natural and part of capitalism. Its primary goal is rooted in reducing social inequality. Granted that society is built to discriminate and oppress certain individuals in areas of race, gender, class, religion, etc. Hence, the structural approach attempts on fixing this injustices on a social praxis level. On the whole, structural work theory focuses on the interaction between agency and structures. More importantly, “the individual is both the creator of the social world and is created by the social world” (Mullally,
2007, p. 237). Incidentally, the challenges with this approach are it shifts the individual’s problems to the environment and uses the society structures to shift blame towards to rather than investigating on how the individual might also have played a role. Furthermore, the challenges with this approach is more concerned on the macro level and limits its exploration on how the individual role is an important agent of change at a micro level.
Given these points, a particular area I would apply structural social work approach is on a community development level. My goal would be to address the systemic issues that create social problems within society. Understanding how the power dynamics have an influence on how we govern our relationships within various structures. I would want to focus on poverty and narrowing on how the political community molds and creates these conditions. Therefore, from a structural approach I would address the policies that perpetuate poverty and organizing community groups around the issues and address the need for lobby decision makers for a new change. Furthermore, in applying the structural model approach on dealing with poverty is I would generate a strategic direction based on what goals I want identified, defined by the group and that they can work towards. That being said, the structural approach examines the relationship between the social classes in societies. Some of the barriers to working with this approach professionally are difficulty to incorporate in a generalist social workers daily practice. For example, do we focus on the client and what they can to improve him quality of their lives or do we shift our attention and focus on changing the system that
is being oppressive? Even though the main objective is address both, the workload they have and time they can only do so much. Some of the barrier to working with this approach personally is sometimes you may not always agree with some of its theory and values. It seems a bit radical to me shift blame towards the environment and society instead of examining how the individual may play a role. Also, it does not sufficiently address individual’s experiences of oppression. In conclusion, the structural practice of social work works to acknowledge the inequality created by social structures and offers help to those who are affected by the inequality. Structural practice has its roots from radical structuralism. As social workers we are committed to attempting to bring fundamental social change. Structural social work approach may not be the answer to everything, but is an extremely important approach in hopes for fighting social change and justice. With this approach, clients become empowered and feel like they are part of the change in dismantling social inequalities.