SOCIAL WORK AND DIVERSITY

Social Work and Diversity: Accommodating Differences

Social Work and Diversity: Accommodating Differences

Working Question

Britain is diverse in terms of its population and cultural traditions. How far can you as a social worker accommodate difference and diversity when taking into account individual need and preferences?

Introduction

Britain is a diverse society. Its population is becoming increasingly diverse in terms of ethnicity, race, religion and national identity. Besides this diversity in population, it is also increasingly becoming culturally diverse. This diversity brings with it a possibility to interact with people from diverse cultures. In work places, educational institutes, and in many different walks of life, this would require an attitude of respect and tolerance from each other. To show such an attitude would then require an understanding of various common cultures in the society we live in. Many discussion and debates can be found around this subject of multiculturalism and diversity with respect to various fields. There have been suggestions from all corners on the required norms of behaviour when it comes to interaction with different culture. Social working has also been an area in which guidelines are provided on how to accommodate such difference and diversity in practicing.

Discussion

Social work is a challenging job in which you have to be involved with people, often at difficult times and circumstances, crises and emergencies. It requires great skill from the part of the social worker to handle people especially at a time when they are in a vulnerable position. When it comes to helping a culturally different person, the task can be even more difficult if you are not aware of the culture they belong to. It is not just culture and values in human services that a social worker needs to accommodate, but also the difference and diversity in terms of ethnicity, religion, gender or age when taking into account individual need and preferences.

Social work is primarily concerned more with things such as families, assisting and caring of people, community well being and other related areas which are also culturally contingent. Culture, therefore, is a defining factor in the practice of social workers. All social workers essentially need to be culturally competent for delivering effective practice.

When taking cultural diversity into consideration for social workers to accommodate, firstly, it requires on the part of the social worker to identify the cultural background and values that a person holds and prefers for starting to have a relation of trust with an individual. This may be a challenge for the social worker since there exists an enormous deal of cultural diversity. The social worker, therefore, needs to have a sound understanding and awareness of prevailing common cultures in the area that he/she works in. For accommodating the needs and preferences of individual and groups that they come into contact, would require just not the awareness and identification of their cultural traditions but also acceptance of it. A culturally competent practice would also require recognition of the differences in behaviours that exist among ...