The Place of Social Workers in Zimbabwe’s Social Justice Endeavours

Abstract

Social practice is anchored in values of social justice and self-determination. The article makes forays into the current social work practice trajectory in Zimbabwe. The aim of the article is to unravel current domains which social workers navigate for the desired outcomes of social justice and enhanced social functioning. Employment as a frontline practitioner forthe government’s Department of Child Welfare and Probation Services (DCWPS), formerly the Department of Social Service (DSS) or non-governmental organisations is characterised by different constraints. Principally, the prevailing turbulent Zimbabwean socio-economic environment means resource constraints hamper achievement of transformative and empowering social work practice. Moreover, climatic shocks, demographic transition and,more recently, COVID-19, all combine to present a social work practice environment thatrequires imaginative intervention methods and resilience towards achievement of social work desired outcomes. To this end, the focus of this secondary-literature-based article is to interrogate how social work can remain relevant as robust change agents capable of galvanising social development through pro-poor methods of intervention which impact different vulnerable persons. Finally, the article offers pathways to enrich current social work practice models in Zimbabwe to reinforce the social work transformative agenda for mitigating social exclusion, poverty and inequality.