Cultural Competence in Social Work - Coursework Example

Cultural Competence in Social Work Introduction In the United States, cultural competence is a significant element in the provision of health and human services, particularly due to the steadily increasing diversity in large urban centers as well as small rural towns. As a practitioner in health and human services, it is fundamental to acquire skills for interacting with people of varying cultures. In essence, cultural competence involves an individual’s awareness on his or her culture, attitude towards differences in culture, understanding of various cultural beliefs and practices, as well as cross-cultural skills. It is apparent that acquiring cultural competence causes the ability to communicate, understand, and interact effectively with individuals across cultures. Furthermore, a culturally competent person must value prevalent diversity in culture, and portray actions or attitudes that accept as well as promote different cultures. The individual should respond effectively and respectively to people of all races, sexual orientations, cultures, ethnic background, religions or faiths, and classes. Health and human services profession requires a practitioner to recognize, value, and affirm the worth of tribes, individuals, families as well as community. The practitioner also has a responsibility to preserve and protect the dignity of all people in the community. Standards for cultural competence Health and human services work has several cultural competence standards that govern the practice. The National Association of Social Worker (NASW) has stipulated several standards or norms for cultural competence. One of the standards is ethics and values that states that social work professionals should function in conformity to profession’s standards, ethics, and values. In addition, they must recognize ways in which professional and personal values may accommodate or conflict with requirements of diverse clients. According to the self-awareness standard, culturally competent social workers have an understanding of their cultural values that creates an approval on significance of multicultural identities in people’s lives. Social workers along with other healthcare providers should have cross-cultural knowledge concerning traditions, history, artistic expressions, family systems, and values of individuals that they serve (National Association of Social Workers, 2001). Acquirement of cultural competence skills Cultural competency in health and human services necessitates the acquirement of cross-cultural skills. In this sense, social work professionals should be equipped with suitable approaches, techniques as well as skills that reflect an understanding of importance and influence of culture in the provision of health and human services. In service delivery, social workers should not only be skillful in and well informed about various available services, but should also be in a position to make suitable referrals for their clientele. They should identify and avoid discrimination of clients from service opportunities because of their diversity. Social work professionals should endeavor to provide services that aptly match clients’ culturally unique needs. Besides, they should promote procedures and policies that guarantee access to care or services, which incorporates different cultural beliefs and practices (Doman, 2010). Social workers must acquire various critical elements that enhance their ability to be more culturally competent. These elements include valuing diversity; being cognizant of various dynamics associated with interaction of cultures; having the capability to undertake cultural self-assessment; attaining profound cultural knowledge; and developing versions of service delivery revealing awareness as well as compliance with cultural diversity. Social work practitioners should be proficient in these elements and manifested them in their professional as well as social interaction. Furthermore, these elements ought to be incorporated in policies, attitudes, as well as services of social workers. A holistic approach should be assumed in delivery of health and human services. It is apparent that developing cultural competence is an ongoing process. In this sense, no specific technique can be used for cultural competency. The acquirement of cultural competence involves an ongoing evaluation, as individuals continually adapt as well as reexamine the way in which they provide services and interact with others. For social workers, cultural diversity assesses their capability to care for service users, and demonstrate that they are both professionally proficient and culturally competent (Cross, Bazron, Dennis, & Isaacs 1989). Diverse Workforce Advocacy and support for a diverse workforce is an integral element of cultural competency in health and human services work. To become culturally competent, social workers should promote recruitment, hiring as well as retention efforts that guarantee diversity in social work agencies and programs. A culturally competent social work professional should, therefore, be able to interact and work together with his or her co-workers with different or diverse cultures. Social work professionals are entitled to establishing positive relationships with co-workers as well as clients. It is the responsibility of social workers to safeguard and respect cultural beliefs of individuals they interact with, regardless of differences that exist between them. Practitioners in health and human services should embrace workforce diversity to support and facilitate the development of flexibility as well as creativity as a means of ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery. It is apparent that appropriate management of a diverse workforce is a strategic and holistic intervention that guarantees maximization of employees’ potential. This contributes to achievement of organization’s and personal career objectives by capitalizing on variations in a diverse workforce setting. It also deals with interpersonal relationships that exist in a diverse workforce environment. By integrating various differences of the workforce, it is possible to overcome easily challenges related to variations in social setting, and individuals’ expectations as well as values. Furthermore, positive interactions allow individuals to address the unavoidable change that occurs in organizational culture. It is necessary to determine appropriate success indicators based on legal obligations, and strategic interventions for nurturing as well as promoting meaningful relationships in a diverse workforce (Cox, 1994).. Social workers should prohibit inequitable, discriminative and unreliable practices in the workplace. Some of the aspects that they should focus on include workforce demographic, work arrangements, equality, and workplace literacy. Practitioners should oppose sexual harassment and gender inequality and purpose to enhance women empowerment in workplaces. The fundamental issues in health and human services are persuading social workers to tackle their activities along with those of their subordinates, colleagues, and peers. It is also important to establish comprehensive understanding of effects of culture on workforce effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity. In general, social workers should integrate different characteristics and views to form a more effective as well as productive workforce (Cox, 1994). Language Diversity Language diversity plays a significant role in ensuring cultural competency in health and human services work. In the context of language diversity, social work professionals should provide services and information in the most appropriate language that the client is well conversant with. It is appropriate for social workers to use a language that clients know in order to guarantee effective delivery of guidelines and instruction and avoid misunderstanding or misinterpretation. Furthermore, social work professionals should acquire education on and make an effort to understand social diversity as well as oppression in regards to ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, religion, political belief, marital status, age, and/or other factor of diversity (National Association of Social Workers, 2001). Language diversity is a necessary aspect while practicing social work in the U.S. as well as in other countries. The level of effectiveness in provision of health and human services depends on the complexity of work environment, particularly in interacting with service users. It is apparent that communication is the most fundamental approach of handling problems in social work. Social workers depend on communication to avert discernment and resolve conflicts between them as well as those in the community. Therefore, it is important to learn or have understanding of the language used by people that a social worker interacts with. Cross Cultural Leadership Cultural competency also entails cross-cultural leadership. In this context, social work professionals providing health and human services should communicate information concerning clients with culturally diverse needs to other professionals. In social work, an individual is in a position to assume leadership both in disseminating knowledge about cultural diversity and in advocating for equitable as well as fair treatment of clients. In addition, social workers should seek to empower clients with different cultures, share information concerning culturally diverse clients to the public, and campaign for clients’ concerns or needs at different levels. Another essential aspect involves social workers’ participation in ongoing training and education to ensure cultural competence. This also involves formation of mechanisms for assessing competence-based practices. Apart from developing cultural competence, social workers should devise methods of measuring outcomes of culturally competent practices (National Association of Social Workers, 2001). Challenges related to cultural competence Health and human services providers experience major challenges related to the high diversity and cultural competence. One of the challenges is recognizing differences in services needed by individuals of different racial and ethnic groups such as higher risk of a particular health or social problem, for example substance abuse in African Americans and diabetes in Native American population. Social workers also face a complex and eminent challenge of communication. This involves the need to get interpreters and nuances of words that are part of various languages. In addition, users of services provided by social workers are reluctant to share their personal matters such as substance use or sexual activity. In most cases, the restrictive nature of cultures in which these clients belong is attributed to their inability to share information necessary for provision of effective services. Some clients may decline or be reluctant to use services offered because they contradict with their cultural values, norms, or beliefs. Social workers, therefore, must plan ways of dealing with these obstacles. Furthermore, service providers encounter a challenge regarding ethics. Although substantial progress has been made on proving the appropriateness and safety of health and human services, several issues still remain unresolved. As result, culturally competent social workers should be aware of, respect as well as understand various belief systems on health and human services. They should devise techniques of handling various effects of these belief systems on provision of competent care (Cross, Bazron, Dennis, & Isaacs 1989). Cultural Competence Implications Cultural competency ensures that individuals as well as systems in social work respond effectively and respectfully to individuals of all cultures, races, classes, religions, languages, ethnic background, and other diversity elements. In health and human services, social work professionals have a responsibility to respond to various diversity factors in a way that acknowledges, asserts, and values the worth of people, communities as well as families, and upholds or maintains the dignity of all. A culturally competent individual has congruent attitudes, behaviors, and principles that enable him or her to work efficiently in cross-cultural settings or situations. Furthermore, cultural competency requires integration and application of understanding of individuals in practices, standards as well as attitudes employed in suitable cultural situations to enhance the quality of health and human services, thus resulting to better outcomes (Cournoyer, 2010). Cultural competence denotes various characteristics that indicate individuals’ differences, including religion, social status, cultures, geographic origin, sexual orientation, lifestyle, and race. In so doing, it not only creates awareness of various disparities between people, but also enhances understanding of how and why different people act differently. Through the process of attaining cultural competence, service providers develop and employing appropriate plans as well as practices that maximize benefits resulting from people’s diversity while minimizing potential disadvantages. Further, cultural competence fosters cooperation, flexibility and understanding, thus enhancing effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery. Cultural competence enables an individual to be adaptable and flexible in satisfying the people’s needs (Cox, 1994). Cultural competence is one of the significant ways of developing heterogeneous groups able to provide better services as well as solutions, providing critical reexamination of an individual’s adherence to ethical requirement, and offers effectual ways of providing health and human services. It enhances an individual’s reputation enhancing his or her ability to deal with, or interact with, people of different cultural backgrounds. Cultural competence also promotes practitioners adherence to their professional responsibilities concerning diversities in work setting such as preventing discrimination, respecting different cultures, and providing informed services to their diverse clientele (Cox, 1994). Professional experience in cultural competence In the contemporary community, culturally competent services are critical and influence outcomes of health and human services. As a culturally competent social worker, I am able to address issues concerning different diversity factors such as gender and assist individuals with disabilities, people of different sexual orientation, religions, ethnicity, race, as well as age. Furthermore, a working awareness of diverse clients’ values as well as cultures assists social workers in modifying health and human services so they can be appropriate and effective for the needs of their clients. It is apparent that effective services can only be provided through sufficient understanding of clients’ background and culture. The future of social work is characterized by a multicultural and pluralistic society, which will require social work professionals to be best equipped to provide health and human services, and to empower individuals from different cultures as well as backgrounds (National Association of Social Workers 2001). In the attempts to adapt to diverse cultural practices and beliefs, an individual must ensure flexibility as well as respect for others perspectives. From experience, it is apparent that cultural competence involves listening to client in order to identify and become conversant with their beliefs concerning health and human services. To deliver culturally appropriate service social workers need to recognize as well as appreciate culturally influenced behaviors. In the contemporary society, social workers experience inherent cultural differences, including ethnic traditions, customs and taboos. They encounter plenty of challenges arising from cultural diversity. Therefore, social workers must learn how to incorporate cultural understanding in providing health and human services in order to be culturally competent (Cross, Bazron, Dennis, & Isaacs 1989). Conclusion As individuals, social workers along with other health and human services providers should learn to enquire on sensitive issues and respect different cultural beliefs.  They must address carefully issues and need of their clientele. It is necessary that social workers develop tolerance and understanding of diverse cultural backgrounds to provide effective services to their clients. By advocating for, and supporting, workforce diversity, social workers will ensure the establishment of workforce with the capacity to address various needs of the diverse client base. Furthermore, social workers should be aware of various implications and challenges associated with cultural competence. Social work practitioner should engage in cross-cultural leadership, and share information regarding clients with culturally diverse needs to other professionals. References Cournoyer, B. R. (2010). The Social Work Skills Workbook. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Cox, T. (1994). Cultural Diversity in Organizations: Theory, Research and Practice. San Francisco, Calif.: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Cross, T., Bazron, B., Dennis, K., & Isaacs, M. (1989). Toward a Culturally Competent System of Care. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University. Doman, L. (2010). Culturally Competent Practice: A Framework for Understanding Diverse Groups and Justice Issues. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. National Association of Social Workers. (2001). NASW standards for cultural competence in social work practice. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from http://www.naswdc.org/practice/standards/NAswculturalstandards.pdf Read More