In the theoretical part of my Master's thesis, I define political social work and related concepts such as moral courage and ethical imperative. I relate to ethics and values in social work and connect both concepts to the context of the politics of social work. I also point out
some of the related ethical dilemmas. I list and describe different forms of political participation: advocacy, lobbying, persuasion, participation and other forms of direct participation in politics, individual intervention, activism, participation in elections and referendums, and communication. I investigate the factors that influence the political participation of social workers. My research is mainly quantitative. With an online survey, I obtained answers from social workers in Slovenia, employed in various fields of social work. I was interested in the ways in which they are politically active and to what extent. I also
researched the subjective assessment of the importance of individual forms of political participation, and with a qualitative approach I asked about opinions and experiences regarding political participation within the profession. The results show that social workers are most active in elections and referendums, and least active where the social worker must actively and directly expose themselves as an individual, e. g. in activism and lobbying. Employers and
educational institutions are also responsible for the greater involvement of social workers in social policy decision-making, and must look for new ways to improve the cooperation.
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