In today’s society were an abundance of resources exist, social workers are often the entry point for people to access services. Therefore, it is imperative for social work professionals to have a clear understanding of themselves in relation to the client from a cultural perspective. While the social work profession has always focused on social justice and oppression it wasn’t until the civil rights movement that there was a conscious shift in the social work pedagogy to focus the social service practice on race, racism, and training the workforce in cultural competences. Later in the mid 1980’s, the tone of cultural competence would shift from race and racism to a more inclusive language, which includes a more robust list of all types of …show more content…
While this definition of cultural competence seems all encompassing, and inclusive I have several critiques of the model and how it is practiced in the social work field: First, cultural competent practices are daunting, these practices often distract clinicians from understanding the role that race and racism often play in systems on a macro level. If clinicians are no aware of how race and racism contributes to the cycle of oppression then they may not be able to identify how they themselves maybe unconsciously participating in this system of oppression, there by creating a notion of colorblindness. Second, the current definition of cultural competence is one that has been modified to address multiple groups of oppressed people. It has been argued that the decision to broaden the definition negates the responsibility of the clinician to be fully aware of race and how it impacts their client’s daily experience. As well as there own biases in regards to different races and experiences with racism. These two individual perceptions have a key influence on the client, clinician …show more content…
Unlike cultural competence, Anti- racism and the Anti-oppression framework has a clear focus, to directly address oppressive practices, and privilege in large institutions. In the “ More than being against it: Anti– racism and Anti –oppression in mental health services “ the authors Simon Corneau and Vicky Stergiopouls, identify seven strategies of the anti-racism and anti-oppression that should be employed when practicing direct service with clients. These seven strategies are "empowerment, education, alliance building, language, alternative, healing strategies, advocacy, social justice/activism, and fostering reflexivity” (Corneau & Stergiopoulos, 2012). The goal of using these seven strategies with clients is to engage the client in the process of care by recognizing the strengths and knowledge that the client brings to the relationship and honoring the idea that there is a racial feature of oppression that is inherent in the dynamics of the client clinician relationships. For example, the use of this practice in my current job with the Family Drug Courts could have a profound effect on the outcomes for both parents and children involved in the program. One example is the case of a 28-year-old mother of three that was separated from her children because of her drug addiction. This parent had an extensive history of trauma,
In the social work practice, social workers should abide by and respect the protocol of their particular organization. The first ethical standard I would like to discuss is that a social worker has cultural competence and social (NASW, 1999). A social worker must possess the knowledge of values, customs, tradition and history, just to name a few, in order to have success with clients that may identify as something other than their own identity. Culture directly impacts human behavior. Within this case study, due to Mrs. Sanchez’s culture, she struggled to assimilate with the American culture and this included her being able to learn the English language.
It is of paramount consideration that social workers are conscious of, aware and sensitive to the cultural demands of their clientele. This is because culture is a pivotal factor upon which a great deal of conduct, norms, social connections and mindsets of clients revolve. For social workers there is need to understand and appreciate how cultural traditions influence relationships with a diverse panorama of client needs and demands. This literature review seeks to create a foundation regarding the facts stated above through filtering and analysis of relevant and interesting research studies and works by previous authors. This review of literature focuses on how social workers develop or maintain cultural competence following graduation from Masters of Social Work Program. It aimed at providing answers for further research regarding how social workers maintain cultural competence post graduation. In addition, this literature review seeks to consider that social workers are not enhancing their cultural awareness post graduation as mandated by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code of ethics.
Cultural competence has to do with one’s culture. Culture affects among other factors, how children are raised, how families communicate, what is considered normal or abnormal, ways of coping with issues, the way we dress, when and where we seek medical treatment, and so forth. I should know because I come from a very cultural home where it is considered bad to talk to a male doctor about anything gynecological.
But even the functioning of the agencies for the implementation of racism couldn’t accomplish their goal completely. Across Boundaries is an agency that works on addressing the problems related to racism. The feedback shows that a lot of people approaching the agency for sharing their experience and seeking assistance from them. It is very difficult to completely eliminate racism from the society because it is a belief of a particular group of people that they are superior. Even though the social service agencies are introducing many programs for ensuring equality through anti-racism projects, the dominance of whiteness in the field will place constraints on the degree of change that is achieved in anti-racism projects (Yee, 2005). It is believed that social work is largely a white profession (Rossiter, 2005; Yee, 2005). But when a white counsellor tries to address the problem of a racially discriminated client the outcome will not reach the goal. This is because as the case worker is from the dominant group they may not be able to perceive the experience of a minority client as such. One of the qualities required for a social worker is
Cultural Competence to me means everybody is treated equally no matter their race, religion, colour of their skin or cultural background. Staff need to be competent in understanding the diverse cultures within the community. Australia is very multi-cultural and therefore engaging with a variety of people requires cultural competency. Educators need to be able to interact and communicate effectively and understand different peoples perspectives and their views of the world. Being culturally aware and having the appropriate skills. Educators must have positive attitudes towards cultural practices to avoid being bias or discrimination. Children need to be able to find their sense if identity while in our care, therefore being ‘culturally competent’
In the National Association for Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, there are many standards a social worker should uphold in order to promote a healthy and helpful relationship with the client. One such aptitude is Cultural Competence and Social Diversity, which is in section 1.05 of the NASW code of ethics (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). There are three sections associated with this competency “Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths of all cultures”. It is assumed that “social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients’ cultures and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive to clients”. As a final point “Social workers should obtain education” in order to understand cultural diversity and oppression in people (NASW, 2008, p. 9).
Needs of the cultural minority were stressed by R1 who said, I think it is the client who demanded of their rights,”R2, speaking as a black woman, said ‘I think there is a need to separate in order to integrate and I think that the way I am going to be able to understand myself better is to clearly understand what the issues are and the cultural aspects… “A wider-ranging discussion of this issues came from r3 who located the cause of minority dissatisfaction in the nature of counseling/psychotherapy as currently practiced arguing that ‘ it is very dominated by masculine thought, and dominated by …male theory.. I think it is not just discontent by ethnic minorities but also by women too… in some ways the client is blamed for being
Constantine, M. G., Hage, S. M., Kindaichi, M. M., & Bryant, R. M. (2007). Social justice and multicultural issues: Implications for the practice and training of counselors and counseling psychologists. Journal of Counseling and Development, 85, 24-29.
Cultural Competence is being able to engage in respectful and effective practice with diverse individuals, families, and communities, preserving their dignity and affirming their worth. A social worker should be aware of their clients’ cultural and environmental contexts, in order to know a client’s strengths, but cultural competence is never fully realized, achieved, or completed, but rather cultural competence is a lifelong process for social workers who will always encounter diverse clients and new situations in their practice. Social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients’ cultures and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive to clients’ cultures. Social workers should obtain education
In the practice of social work, social workers will have frequent contact with people who are of a diverse cultural background other than their own. That is why it is important for social workers to understand these diverse cultures, and to learn as much as they can about these diverse cultural backgrounds. With ethnographic interviewing, social workers take on the stance of being ignorant of a person’s cultural identity, and allows that person to be their guide to understanding their cultural background (Leigh, 1998). For this ethnographic interview, I spoke with a employee of the agency who is an African-American female in her mid- to upper 60’s. She served as a key informant for this interview. She provided information on the worldview of African-Americans in relation to family roles, religion, and raising a grandchild.
Cultural competence is a set of values, behaviours, beliefs, and policies that come together in a service or amid practitioners, to enable the service or practitioners to work effectively in cross-cultural systems (Sonal-Valias 2009, p. 2). Understanding a person’s culture helps staff members understand how the person views their environment (Government of South Australia 2006, p. 8). By understanding the person’s culture staff members are equipped to avoid stereotypes and biases that can negatively impact the working relationship (Government of South Australia 2006, p. 8). The cultural competence staff training project’s goal is to assist frontline workers to be able to effectively communicate with
Cultural competency plays a vital role in one becoming multicultural competent. Zunker 2012 discussed five characteristics for one becoming a culturally competent counselor. The first is one developing “an ability to recognize which values and assumptions the counselor holds regarding the desirability or undesirability of human behavior” (Zunker, 2012, p. 215). This will allow a counselor to reflect and think about how his/her assumptions will affect the client. Consequently, a counselor must also become aware of the impact of different views and environmental factors that have been developed in the client’s cultural context. The second characteristic focuses on the “awareness of the generic characteristics of counseling that cut across many schools of counseling theory” (Zunker, 2012, p. 215). Self-awareness is looked at as the counselor’s ability to recognize any prejudice that would inhibit one’s ability to empathize with people of color (Zunker, 2012). One has to develop an appreciation and acceptance for how the human behavior is shaped by a variety of cultural variables. In addition, a counselor has to have a personal awareness of his/her cultural background as this ultimately sways one’s thinking and behaving. Similarly, one has to gain ample knowledge of culture specific factors such as language
The purpose of this paper will explore the changes of society and how a greater need for awareness is needed in a changing population of diverse culture. The demands of multicultural competency are required by the ACA code of Ethics for mental health counselors, which enables them to have the ability to work with diverse families, gender, and other ethnic groups. The paper to examines the experiences of working in racially/ethnically, social and cultural diverse population groups. This paper will further examine the need to respect levels of diversity and address the complexities that are unique or distinctive when professionally counseling clients in today’s society.
Be culturally competent means to me to consider culture and diversity as part of the counseling process by taking in consideration the client’s perspective, context, circumstances, background, and cultural values.
“We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race." Kofi Annan ( Ghanian Diplomat, 7th UN Secretary General, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize Winner; b. 1938 ). The development of cultural competence can have far-reaching effect not only on the client but also the counsellor and the communities to which they strives. Sue’s (2001) multidimensional model of cultural competence includes three dimensions of cultural competence Foci individual, professional, organizational, societal. Group-specific attributes appropriate action depends on the target group; components attitudes, knowledge and skills. This paper will look on the multidimensional model of cultural competence and how