• Use technology ethically and appropriately to facilitate practice outcomes;

• Use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior, ethical decision-making, and approaches for ongoing professional development and self-care.

Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice

Policy practitioners understand that all people have fundamental human rights. They are knowledgeable about the global intersecting systemic injustices that result in oppression, including social work’s role and response. Policy practitioners apply this knowledge to eliminate mechanisms of oppression and develop and promote social, racial, economic, environmental justice, and human rights.

Social Workers (Practice Behaviors):

• Advocate for social welfare programs and/or policies that promote human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.

• Engage in practices that advance human rights to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice within communities, organizations, institutions, and society.

Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice

Policy practitioners understand how intersecting structures of oppression (e.g., racism, classism, capitalism, sexism, heterosexism/normativity, ableism, ageism, etc.) co-construct human experiences and influence practices at group, organizational, and community levels and in policy and research. They understand the pervasive impact of White supremacy and privilege and use their knowledge, awareness, and skills to engage in anti-racist practice. They are committed to ongoing reflexive practice to understand how intersecting structures of oppression operate in social, economic, political, racial, technological, and cultural exclusions.

Note: The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of factors including but not limited to age, caste, class, color, culture, disability and ability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, generational status, immigration status, legal status, marital status, political ideology, race, nationality, religion and spirituality, sex, sexual orientation, and tribal sovereign status.

Social Workers (Practice Behaviors):

• Engage in anti-racist and anti-oppressive policy practice that eliminate oppression and discrimination and promote equity, social and racial justice, and human rights.

• Demonstrate humility by applying critical reflection, self-awareness, and self-regulation to manage the influence of bias, power, privilege, and values in working within organizations, communities, or government and with diverse constituencies.

Competency 4: Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice

Policy practitioners use anti-oppressive approaches in conducting research and building knowledge, inform organizational and policy practice decision making, and articulate how practice experience informs research and evaluation decisions. They critically evaluate and critique empirical research to inform decisions pertaining to policy making, implementation, and policy feedback. They use an anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspective to acknowledge and address the inherent bias in research and evaluate design, analysis, and interpretation. Policy practitioners access, critique, and synthesize the current literature to develop appropriate research questions and hypotheses. They demonstrate knowledge and skills regarding qualitative and quantitative research methods and analysis and interpret data derived from these methods. Policy practitioners demonstrate knowledge about methods to assess reliability and validity in social work research. They disseminate research findings in ways that are accessible for organizational, programmatic, or policy changes.

Social Workers (Practice Behaviors):

• Use quantitative and qualitative research to understand the nature of communities, organizations, institutional structures and best practices to improve well-being in these macro systems.

• Identify anti-oppressive strategies that address inherent biases for use in quantitative and qualitative research methods to advance the purposes of social work.

• Use theories of change in assessment and analysis of macro interventions.

Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice

New: Policy practitioners identify and work to transform social policy at the local, state, federal, and global level that promote equitable and just outcomes. Policy pracitioners use their understanding of the historical, social, racial, cultural, economic, organizational, environmental, and global contexts that affect social policy to develop and advocate for just, equitable policies and programs. They influence policy formulation, analysis, implementation, and evaluation within their practice settings in organizations, communities, civil society, and government entities[1]. they actively engage in and advocate for anti-racist and anti-oppressive policy practice to effect change in those settings.

Social Workers (Practice Behaviors):

• Engage in policy practice at local, state, national, or international levels using justice-oriented, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to assess how social welfare policies affect the delivery of and access to social services.

• Apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and or Communities

Policy practitioners have an advanced understanding that engagement is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice across all domains. They value the importance of human relationships; understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment; and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in engaging organizations, communities, civil society, and government entities. They are self-reflective and understand how bias, power, and privilege as well as their personal values and personal experiences may affect their ability to engage in effective policy practice. They use interprofessional collaboration to build relationships in and across organizations, communities, and levels of governance to advance policy practice for equity, social justice, and human rights.

Social Workers (Practice Behaviors):

• Apply macro theoretical and practice knowledge as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks to engage with communities, organizations, governance bodies, and their constituents.

• Engage with communities, organizations, governance bodies, and other constituents to determine capacity and challenges for effective policy change or implementation at local, state, federal, international levels.

• Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies.

Competency 7: Assess Groups, Organizations, and or Communities

Policy practitioners understand that assessment is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with diverse groups, organizations, communities and governance bodies. They understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and they critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in culturally responsive assessment with diverse constituencies and in particular organizations, communities, civil society, and government entities. Assessment involves a collaborative process of defining presenting challenges and identifying strengths with organizations, communities, and governance bodies to develop a mutually agreed-upon plan. Policy practitioners recognize the implications of the larger practice context in the assessment process and use interprofessional collaboration in this process. Social workers are self-reflective and understand how bias, power, privilege, and their personal values and experiences may affect their assessment and decision making.

Social Workers (Practice Behaviors):

• Assess through engagement with communities, organizations, governance bodies and their constituents to determine capacity and challenges for effective policy change or implementation at local, state, federal, international levels.

• Demonstrate respect for self-determination with constituencies engaged in macro practice during the assessment process by collaborating with community members, organizations, governance bodies, and other constituencies in developing a mutually agreed-upon action or plan

Competency 8: Intervene with Groups, Organizations, and or Communities

Policy practitioners understand that intervention is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice. They understand theories of human behavior, person-in-environment, and other interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and they critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in selecting culturally responsive, justice-oriented interventions related to policy change and program development or implementation at multiple levels (local, state, federal, international). Policy practitioners understand methods of identifying, analyzing, and implementing evidence-informed policies and programs and participate in interprofessional collaboration to achieve policy goals.

Social Workers (Practice Behaviors):

• Policy practitioners facilitate effective transitions and endings. They engage with varied policy-related constituencies to critically choose and implement justice-oriented responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve constituency goals.

• Incorporate culturally responsive, justice-affirming methods to negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of constituencies.

Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Groups, Organizations, and or Communities

Policy practitioners understand that evaluation is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice related to organizations, communities, civil society, and government entities. They evaluate processes and outcomes to increase policy and service delivery effectiveness. Policy practitioners apply anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspectives in evaluating outcomes; understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment; interprofessional conceptual frameworks; and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in evaluating outcomes. Social workers use qualitative and quantitative methods for evaluating outcomes and practice effectiveness.

Social Workers (Practice Behaviors):

• Select and use culturally responsive, justice-affirming methods for evaluation of outcomes.

• Critically analyze outcomes and apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness with organizations, communities, and governance bodies and other constituencies.

[1] Government entities include agencies, policy-makers, legislative bodies, ombuds persons, etc.