Human Rights and Social Work: Making the Case for Human Rights Plus (hr plus )

Human rights are declared to be 'fundamental' and 'foundational' to social work. Such rights are part of the 'DNA' of the profession. This understanding is central to the profession's self-image, and it reflects how social work portrays its ethical base to the general public and the wider world. However, uncritical uses of 'human rights' by its promulgators and (re)producers occlude a range of important questions; for example, around the failure to historise the political reanimation of the phrase and concept, especially in the 1970s. Drawing on an expansive literature, the article aspires to deepen and trouble social work engagement. It is also proposed that the notion of 'human rights plus' (hr+) might potentially expand the political reach of the usage of the term within social work. This article engages with the theme of human rights, which is central to the Irish Federation of Social Workers' definition of the profession. Adopting a critical perspective and drawing on Marxism theory, it is argued that, it is vital to defend human rights and, in this context, a more expansive and political engagement is proposed in the form of what is tentatively termed 'human rights +'