Definition, how to empower, central to social work practice, empowering young people, measuring empowerment, practice approach
Three sections follow:
1. Background Material that provides the context for the topic
2. Suggestions for Practice
3. A list of Supporting Material / References
4. Appendix 1: Instruments that measure empowerment
Feedback welcome!
Background Material
Empowerment for social workers involves working alongside people to help them move from a position of powerlessness or disenfranchisement to a position that is more empowered. There are several different types of power that people experience every day:
the power in personal relationships
the power exerted by services and institutions
socio-cultural and ideological forms of power.
These kinds of power often overlap. For example, a woman experiencing family violence may be experiencing power-over behaviour from her partner, gender-biases embedded in services and patriarchal social structures that exclude her from well-paid, permanent employment. In assisting people to address these different types of power, social workers seek to create the conditions to help people empower themselves, i.e. to create the conditions for them to feel stronger, more confident and hopeful, more capable of exerting control over their lives and more skilled at enacting their rights (Innovative Resources, 2021).
Definition
Empowerment is globally accepted as a central concept and core value for social work that should underpin both thinking and working (Noordink et al., 2021). It is a process that enables people to become stronger and more confident. It gives them greater say in and control of their lives, and helps them understand their rights, so they can act on them when they need to. It helps them achieve their goals (LinkedIn, n.d.; Moore et al., 2021). Empowerment applies to individuals, groups, and communities (LinkedIn, n.d.). These levels—individual, group/organisation and community—are often intertwined, interconnected and interdependent. They can operate as both cause and effect due to the constant mutual influence between individuals and their environment, making empowerment complex in nature. Empowerment can also have different meanings for different people, adding to its complexity (Noordink et al., 2021).
Empowerment theory is based on the principles of social justice, human rights, and participatory democracy (LinkedIn, n.d.). At its core, empowerment is telling someone, “I believe in you!” and then showing them how to believe in themselves (Mitchell, 2023).
How can social workers empower people?
Empowerment is about creating the conditions to help people empower themselves, i.e. creating conditions for them to feel stronger, more confident and hopeful, more capable of exerting control over their lives and more skilled at enacting their rights (Innovative Resources, 2021). The social worker is a mentor who supports the person to become skilled in collaborating with others, self-determination, and finding relevant information, all of which are intertwined.
Self-Determination: By letting individuals take the reins of their lives, social workers allow them to navigate their own course.
Access to Information: Information equips individuals with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.
Collaboration & Community Engagement: Empowerment thrives in collaboration - individuals engaged with their community, working hand-in-hand with others (Mitchell, 2023).
Innovative Resources (2021) looks at empowerment more from the perspective of addressing power and resource imbalances. Empowerment involves:
Personal education about power. Make people aware of various types of power, both overt and covert.
Deliberately talking about social structures and their impact on people as well as focusing on the personal context. For example, if someone is struggling financially, support may revolve around budgets and how to get better quality jobs. It should also, but may not, talk about how growing up in poverty may have impacted on the person’s ability to get a well-paid job, or on other aspects of their life such as their mental health or their capacity to care for their children.
Focus on access to resources that may be needed in the present, but also support people to understand their rights, how the system works, and how to advocate for themselves (Innovative Resources, 2021).
Importance of empowerment
Empowerment is central to social work practice. Mitchell (2023) highlights it importance in several areas:
Sowing the Seeds of Sustainable Change Empowering someone plants seeds of resilience, self-reliance, and self-efficacy. Empowerment ensures people are not just surviving, but thriving in the long run.
Cultivating Resilient Communities Communities are like jigsaw puzzles, with each member being a unique piece. When individuals within these communities are empowered, they bring their strengths to the forefront, contributing to a more cohesive and resilient picture. These stronger communities are then better equipped to face challenges, support each other, and build networks of mutual aid.
Boosting Dignity and Self-Worth There’s something profoundly transformative about feeling empowered. Empowerment does not just address material or external needs.
Breaking the Cycle of Dependency No longer tethered to a constant need for external assistance, empowered people can chart their own path, make informed decisions, and reclaim control over their lives.
Driving Systemic Change Empowered individuals become active agents of change, challenging unjust systems, advocating for their rights, and paving the way for more equitable societies.
Fostering Connections and Solidarity Empowerment builds bridges, fosters connections, and nurtures a sense of solidarity. As individuals become empowered, they often reach out, uplift, and support others in their community, creating a ripple effect of empowerment and mutual support.
When empowerment may not be the best approach
There might be situations where immediate relief or direct intervention is more appropriate. For instance:
Crisis Situations: In emergencies or life-threatening scenarios, the immediate priority is safety and well-being. While empowerment remains a long-term goal, the initial focus might be on providing direct aid.
Lack of Readiness: Not everyone might be ready for empowerment immediately. Some individuals might need therapeutic interventions or support before they can participate in empowerment-based activities.
However, even in such situations, the principles of empowerment, like respecting autonomy and fostering self-worth, can still guide the interventions. The approach might vary, but empowerment remains central (Mitchell, 2023).
Empowering young people through participation
(From Moore et al., 2021)
Organisations have an obligation to empower children and young people, and to uphold their human right to participate in decision-making that affects them. Empowerment is about building up children and young people to have greater confidence and to seek out support when they need it. They can be empowered through their relationships with staff and peers, and through positive and affirming experiences. Empowerment builds children and young people’s confidence in themselves. Empowerment builds confidence and self-esteem. Participation—giving children and young people opportunities to have their say and to inform decision-making— contributes to empowerment when it builds children and young people’s confidence.
Effects of empowerment on young people
By empowering children and young people, child safe organisations aim to help them:
become more resilient
identify risks and know what to do if they are unsafe
develop confidence to seek support if they need it.
For children and young people to be empowered, they need organisations to foster certain values and commitments, including:
showing that they value children and young people and their contributions
demonstrating a commitment to their rights
taking their experiences seriously and responding to their views and insights
demonstrating a commitment to keeping them safe.
At-risk groups
In particular it is important to empower the following groups, as they are more likely to have experienced disempowerment, discrimination, harm or abuse:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people
Those from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds, including refugees
Those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or queer (LGBTIQ+)
Those with disability.
Participation
Participation is one way children and young people can be both empowered and safer within organisations. Participation provides children and young people with opportunities and support to voice their views and concerns, and to talk about what makes them feel safe or unsafe. It is an important way to empower young people. Some kinds of participation include:
Discussing personal safety with children and young people, and how to raise any concerns
Ensuring children and young people have time and opportunities to express their views
Giving children and young people authority in tasks and activities
Checking in regularly with children and young people regarding their experiences
Giving children and young people choices in what issues they discuss
Letting them know they can stop participating at any time
Giving genuine consideration and responses to their views, to build trust and show they are taken seriously
Benefits of participation
Participation of young people should result in the following outcomes:
Feeling empowered by adults because they are helping to improve things
Building skills, confidence and abilities
Understanding what to do if they feel unsafe
Knowing how organisations should meet their needs
Feeling safer
Elements of participation
Participation involves giving children and young people voice and influence.
Voice: To help children and young people participate, organisations should:
build trust and rapport with them
provide information to ensure they understand and are able to participate, feel safe to do so, and can choose whether they want to be involved
help them identify their views
help them express themselves
capture what they have said
support them to make decisions
explain how you will be using or sharing their views.
Influence: ‘Influence’ involves:
decision-making that considers what is heard from children and young people
procedures that incorporate listening and empowering young people
letting young people know the response to their input.
Measuring empowerment
A multitude of instruments can be used to measure the level of empowerment in clients. Noordink et al. (2021) reviewed 2711 studies and clustered the results into parent and family support (9), mental healthcare (8), childcare and youth work (8), elderly healthcare (3), medical healthcare (13) and other (8). There is a list of the instruments discovered in this study in Appendix 1.
Practitioners can gain some insight into a client’s level of empowerment by looking at strengths (LinkedIn, n.d.). Readers can use the ‘contents’ tab on this website to look at the ‘strengths-based practice’ topic (www.thesocialworkgraduate.com/post/strengths-based-practice). The section on ‘Strengths and their identification’ discusses instruments that can be used to identify strengths. The Therapist Aid website (https://www.therapistaid.com/) can also be a useful resource in exploring this area. Search for ‘strengths’ on the home page to unearth a number of ways of discovering and utilising a client’s strengths.
Bannister (2016) suggests the Empowerment Circle can be used to empower clients. The Circle suggests human rights markers underpin empowerment (freedom, dignity, respect and equality) and focuses on eight life areas:
1. Physical – my body, my health
2. Social – my life in my community
3. Identity – who I am and what I believe
4. Material – my home and my things
5. Economic – my job and my money
6. Education – things I have learned and things I want to learn
7. Relationships – the people in my life
8. Emotional – how I feel
The Circle can be used to initiate discussions around strengths and areas for development (empowerment).
Practice approach
The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW, 2020) makes it clear in their Code of Ethics that social workers have a duty to empower their clients by, among other strategies, enabling participation in decision-making.
4.2 Social workers have a responsibility to
seek to empower individuals, families, groups, communities and societies in the pursuit and achievement of equitable access to social, economic, environmental and political resources
engage in participative, collaborative, open and empowering processes
5.2.1 Social workers will promote the self-determination and autonomy of service users, actively seeking to enable them to make informed decisions on their own behalf.
5.2.8 Social workers will encourage service users receiving a service involuntarily to participate in decisions about the goals, alternatives and services available to them.
LinkedIn (n.d.) suggests a four-step process to empower clients:
Assess strengths and needs of clients as well as resources and barriers in their environment. Use tools such as an empowerment scale, strengths perspective, and ecological model.
Build relationships and trust with clients and stakeholders. Use active listening, empathy, validation and feedback. The collaborative environment developed between clients and workers enables clients to express their views and needs.
Enhance skills and knowledge of clients and worker. Facilitate education, training or mentoring opportunities to enhance goals and interests for both client and worker.
Evaluate and celebrating outcomes of clients via feedback, reflection or outcome measurement.
Moore et al. (2021) suggests a stepped approach:
Mitchell (2023) suggests the following techniques to drive empowerment:
Engage in active listening to build relationships and trust, i.e. listen to the individual’s narrative, understanding their fears, dreams, and aspirations. This conveys a message that says, “I value you, and your story matters.”
Foster a strength-based approach By emphasizing an individual’s strengths and capabilities, you’re nurturing a sense of achievement and boosting their morale.
Cultural sensitivity Understand and respect the cultural, social, and personal values of the individuals. One size doesn’t fit all in empowerment!
Collaborative decision making Instead of dictating terms, involve individuals in decision-making processes. Let them have a say in shaping their path.
Enable access to resources By guiding individuals to available resources – be it education, healthcare, or housing – you’re equipping them with the tools they need to level up in life.
Advocate for policy changes Policies and regulations often form invisible barriers. Lobby for changes that benefit the marginalized and the voiceless.
Promote self-advocacy Empowerment gets real when individuals can stand up for themselves. Encourage them to express their needs, rights, and concerns. Equip them with communication skills, knowledge about their rights, and the confidence to engage in conversations that matter.
Continuous education and workshops Organize workshops that focus on skill-building, awareness about rights, health, financial literacy, and more. These sessions not only equip individuals with information but also offer a platform for networking and mutual learning.
Celebrate small wins Every step forward is a testament to their resilience and hard work by both client and social worker.
A number of themes are common to a practice approach that seeks to empower clients:
Consider the client’s culture and adapt practice accordingly
Engage in active listening to build a working relationship
Unearth and utilise strengths
Educate and provide resources
Include the client in decisions—promote independence
Celebrate successes
Keep up to date with emerging practice methods
References
AASW: Australian Association of Social Workers. (2020). Code of ethics 2020. Australian Association of Social Workers. https://www.aasw.asn.au/about-aasw/ethics-standards/code-of-ethics/
Bannister, J. & Collier, L. (2016) . The empowerment circle. https://nds.org.au/images/resources/resource-files/EMPOWERMENT-CIRCLE-UPDATED.pdf
Innovative Resources. (2021). What is empowerment really and how can I support people to get more of it. https://innovativeresources.org/what-is-empowerment-reallyand-how-can-i-support-people-to-get-more-of-it/
LinkedIn. (n.d.). How can you apply empowerment to your social work practice? https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/how-can-you-apply-empowerment-theory-your-social-work
Mitchell, M. (2023, October 16). Empowerment in social work: Techniques and importance. Agents of Change. https://agentsofchangeprep.com/blog/empowerment-in-social-work-techniques-and-importance/
Moore, T., Ey, L-A., Antcliff, G, Bromfiled, L. & Bagshaw. (2021). Empowerment and participation: A guide for organisations working with children and young people. Commission for Children and Young People, Office of the Children’s Guardian, University of South Australia, and Australian Centre for Child Protection. https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/assets/resources/Empowerment-and-Participation-Guide/CCYP-Empowerment-and-participation-guide-for-web.pdf
Noordink, T., Verharen, L., Schalk, R., van Eck, M., & van Regenmortel, T. (2021). Measuring instruments for empowerment in social work: A scoping review. British Journal of social Work, 51, 1482-1580. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcab054
Appendix 1
Instruments that measure empowerment
(Noordink et al., 2021)
Parents and family support
The Empowerment Questionnaire (2017)
The Family Empowerment Scale (1992)
The Parent Empowerment and Efficacy Measure (2014)
Parent Resource Empowerment Scale (2014)
Caregiver Empowerment Scale (2011)
Mental healthcare
Personal Empowerment Scale (1995)
Organisational Empowerment Scale (1995)
Boston University Empowerment Scale (1997)
Individual Empowerment Assessment (2000)
Childcare and youth work
Youth Empowerment Scale–Mental Health (2010)
Youth empowerment measure within schools (2018)
Gothenburg Young Persons Empowerment Scale (2018)
Youth Cognitive Empowerment Scale (2019)
Individual and Community Empowerment (2011).
Elderly healthcare
Healthcare Empowerment Questionnaire (2006)
Patient Empowerment Scale (2001)
Seniors Empowerment and Advocacy in Patient Safety (2007)
Medical healthcare
Patient Empowerment Scale (2006)
Healthcare Empowerment Inventory (2012)
Client Empowerment Scale (2006)
Patient Empowerment measure in long-term conditions (2013)
DATEMP questionnaire (2019)
Treatment related empowerment scale (2001)
Other
Service user Psychological Empowerment Scale (2016)
Growth and Empowerment measure (2010)
Community Empowerment measure (2011)
Empowerment Scale (2000 – Speer & Peterson)
Social Worker Empowerment Scale (1993)