Social Workers as Local Human Rights Actors: 'You always have to deal with us"

This dissertation explores the role of social workers as human rights actors. Social workers engage closely with people in vulnerable positions, while their work is guided by laws and policies, meaning their daily decisions can directly affect human rights realization. The study combines two empirical studies in the Netherlands with two theoretical studies. The first empirical study shows how social work actors perceive human rights roles of social workers. The second empirical study explores how social workers respond to barriers in access to care and how their actions affect compliance with socio-economic rights. The theoretical studies examine how social workers’ roles are interpreted in international human rights law and how the discretionary space of frontline workers shapes their potential influence on human rights. Findings indicate that social workers can both support and undermine human rights, depending on how they interact with laws and policies. Discretionary practice allows consideration of client diversity and individual needs but may also lead to unequal treatment when influenced by stereotypes. Professional autonomy and human rights knowledge are crucial for effective practice. The dissertation offers a new perspective on the diverse roles social workers can play and demonstrates how these roles can shape the local realization of human rights.