Comment on and question the evidence that they would provide to their Congressperson, Senator, Community representative if lobbying or advocating on behalf of an important issue. 

Advocacy is the practice of seeking help for others that are in need of services they are unable to obtain themselves (Herzberg, 2015).  When a person in the human services field acts as an advocate they are seeking help or better conditions in some cases for individuals who are in need.  Human service professionals have an obligation to educate themselves on patterns of inequality throughout history to strive to make a change for social and economic issues that are hindering minority groups from living a better life.  These issues stem from a lack of medical care, poor education, unhealthy living conditions, and lack of resources in any area that leads to social inadequacy. Advocacy requires persuasion and must be presented from a factual and well thought out process that explains what the need is and how it can be addressed.  

Lobbying is defined as a person or people who work to influence change in government policies and or legislation by addressing members of the government (Herzberg, 2015).  Lobbying is a form of advocacy and also requires persuasion that is informative and uses the appropriate language, research, and approach to be effective enough to create change.  As a human service representative, it is imperative to have the appropriate knowledge of local, state, and federal laws to make a strong case and to advocate for change (Herzberg, 2015).  Knowing when to stand up for laws or legislation that contradict with client’s rights or ethical standards that the human service field is representative of is an essential start to lobbying against these contradictions. 

One issue that needs to be addressed in my community is the advocacy for women who have suffered from abuse in the form of domestic violence and sexual abuse.  There is a need to serve this underrepresented group and to create an opportunity to rebuild the lives of women who have suffered from abuse.  Some of the things that should be presented to the community in regard to this issue are the statistics for the number of women suffering from the aftermath of abuse as well as the number of children that are also affected.This issue should also be backed up by groups that are willing to participate in funding and other resources to help aid with this issue.

The role of human service professionals is to work with organizations or non-profit agencies to advocate for issues that are affecting the communities they serve.  In a lobbyist situation, human service professionals will be motivated to human cause to the attention of legislators at different government levels (Herzberg, 2015).In order to advocate for issues that are affecting communities, human service professionals will form groups, and provide persuasive arguments for change in community projects, laws, and other client services to address a need. “You can speak for your clients when they can’t speak for themselves (Human Services Council, 2011).”

References

Herzberg, J. T. (2015). Foundations in human services practice: A generalist perspective on individual, agency, and community. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.  ISBN: 9780205858255; eISBN: 9780205982233

HumanServicesCouncil. (2011, December 15). What is lobbying? [Video File]. Retrieved from  (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)