1. SW 840
Week 14

2. Course Objectives
1. Identify practice issues related to human diversity, behaviors & attitudes that interfere with effective SW practice across multicultural lines & ideas & intervention strategies to counter oppression & discrimination.

3. Expand critical understanding of professional values that foster ethical & effective SW practice.
3. Explore both sides of controversial, ethics-related issues and sharpen skills needed to take a stand on a controversial issue & build a logical argument.

4. Social Worker’s Characteristics
Race Matters
Social Worker’s
Characteristics

5. Social Justice Collect racial/ethnic data On behalf of our clients
Address inequalities

6. Why race instead of culture?
Culture can be
All values, norms, knowledge, behavior patterns, and artifacts that are transmitted from one generation to the next and form a way of life of a people

7. Middle class norms/values
Any different for middle class
Latina/os
Asian Americans
Native Americans
African Americans
Persons who are LGBT

8. Social science researchers and practitioners (social workers) in spite of their years of training and education are no less likely to be affected by American racism than is the common man [person] (Sue, 1999).

9. Power and Privilege Support oppression -
Which is the pervasive,systematic and institutionalized racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism (physical and mental)……..

10. Mental Health Outcomes
Asian Americans - highest suicide rate 65+
teenage girls - highest rates depression
Latinas - teenage girls highest rates suicide
AI/AN - higher rates depression, sub abuse

11. Child Welfare Outcomes
Native Americans\Alaskan
African American more likely to be reported, substantiated, placed in foster care, reenter foster care

12. Why not ask about race? Fear of being offensive Color blindness
Ignorant of significance of difference

13. Clients desires Finally - it is all about our clients
What do our consumers want?
Do they care what their SW thinks or
Their race, gender, sexual orientation?

14. American Indian study Almost two thirds
reported uncomfortable talking with Whites about personal issues
African American – fear stigma and have trust issues with MH providers
Asian-American women preferred gender and ethnic match
Some Latinos prefer Latino counselor

15. Cultural Competence
Race and ethnicity have an impact on professional relations
A client with a worker of a different ethnicity may assume that the worker will not understand the client’s world.
Workers often have a poorer opinion of those clients whom they see as having significantly different views from themselves

16. Improving Cultural Competence
Learning and self examination critical
Learn about culture of client
Examine one’s own beliefs, values, and culture
Interventions – European/middle class

17. Working with Latinos When assessing clients explore ethnicity.
Assess influence of culture and how
the person’s community can be helpful.

18. Assessment includes issues of national origin,
birthplace, immigration experience,
length of time in the country,
language preference, and the meaning of
being Latino.

19. Anti-Racism