Understanding of Race and Ethnicity of Social Workers in Britain - Essay Example

Social Workers Introduction A social worker is the one who primarily carries out social activities. In UK the of social worker is bestowed upononly those persons who acquire the relevant training from a particular university either through a Bachelor or a Masters degree in social work. Moreover, they are also required to register themselves with the appropriate regulatory body as well, and after that they may practice social work and can attain the title of a social worker. A qualified Social worker is the one who acquires a systematic set of training and qualification. Besides that a qualified social worker is also other than those who are care assistants or social care workers, who although carries out social activities but they don not possess the particular training, qualification and professional skills, which a qualified social worker possesses (Saleebey, 1996). Although a care worker or a social care assistant doesn’t possess the specific training, qualification and skills which a qualified social worker possesses, however they are accountable to a qualified member of staff, such as a staff of qualified social workers. The importance of Social Workers Social workers are responsible for social justice regarding the society and also regarding the people with whom they work as. Moreover, social workers are also to stop discrimination on the basis of race, cast or creed, gender, social status, economic status, political background, culture, age, skin color, marital status, race, cast or creed, culture, opinions and etc. However, in order to do so, it is imperative for social workers to assess and develop such principles and knowledge in their social practices on regular intervals, which would help them to fulfill their social responsibilities. Moreover, in order to comprehend the cultural differences, it is extremely essential for the social workers to realize the strengths of different cultural practices, and also the issues regarding cultural relativity, rather than cultural sensitivity. It is very important that social workers must know that how they can apply these considerations in their respective agencies and also in their individual practices as well, because this would assist them to deal with the complex sets of causes and effects regarding the conflicts which took place within different cultural and ethnic groups and is applicable to various clients at a particular time. Moreover, in order to obtain a clear understanding regarding this matter, social workers must adapt sound ideas and knowledge through relevant and appropriate theories and research in this regard. According to Brighton (2007), social work and social work education need to begin to examine how there may be very different specifically due to the value bases in different ethnic/religious groups which may be at odds with regard to western libertarian and individualistic social work values. This also applies to Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist approaches to morality and ethics. Such issues can be particularly contentious in relation to definitions of child abuse and how social workers work in culturally sensitive ways, without exhibiting cultural relativism. Social Work in UK Social Work in UK has a diverse and multifaceted nature. Social workers have to deal with many social issues in a particular society, and in order to deal with these social issues effectively, they are required to work with people of different ages. Moreover, in order to further deal with these issues more effectively, social workers are also required to follow the principles, standards, guidelines and direction as issued by their respective code of practice, as outlined by the government of UK. It is also very crucial for the social workers to realize the significance of social justice and its effective implementation in a society (Fearon, 2003). Even though, every person has his own personal and individual feelings and emotions regarding the society and its people, but the social workers must realize that it is their legal, social, moral and ethical responsibility to ensure that they effectively deal with these social issues and do not let their personal and individual feelings and emotions to become a hindrance in their effort to resolve these social issues. Multiculturalism in UK The UK has experienced a large of immigrants and expatriates, specifically after World War 2 and this has made UK a multicultural state. According to Taylor (1994), Multiculturalism is a broad concept which reflects the principles of culture and ethnicity in a highly diversified manner and there is no national commitment for the concept of multiculturalism. However, the model of Multiculturalism has faced criticism due to the fact that it often fails to promote social and ethical integration within the realms of a country and due to this experts and researchers on social sciences have often questioned the relation between cultural diversity and social integration. Since 2001, government of UK moved away from its policy of multiculturalism and has moved towards the adaptation of securing the rights of minority and unprivileged communities (Parekh, 2002). The Challenge for Social Workers in UK Social workers must have a thorough knowledge and understanding regarding the cultural, religious and ethnic diversity and the significance of the role of diversity in this regard, because this facilitates them to make the people, who belong to their particular cultural background, understand and appreciate the cultural differences effectively. It is imperative for social workers to tackle these sensitive issues with great care, otherwise the social workers may begin to emphasize on how to dominate other than those who belong to their own cultural background, and this would be due to inadequate theoretical perspective and research knowledge in this regard. The challenge which social workers face in the UK is that they come across people who not only belong to UK or other European countries but they belong to a multi-cultural society whose native language may be completely different to the natives of UK. It is crucial for the social workers to consider such crucial matters in this regard including the role of ethnicity and also other crucial and alike cultural factors in this regard (Furman, Benson, Grimwood & Canda, 2004). Social workers in UK have the legal, moral and ethical duty to have a very profound understanding regarding such serious issues. Moreover, they are also required to make efforts for the purpose of preventing the practice of discrimination on the basis of various factors, such as race, cast, creed, gender, etc and many other similar factors, by acquiring an understanding regarding how such issues and debates regarding cultural dissimilarities raise some very serious and essential questions for social work. Core Aspects of Cultural and Ethnic diversity in United Kingdom Cultural Identity According to Kanuha (2000), cultural identity is basically a sense of belongingness. Moreover, it’s a result of such factors like values, ideas, perceptions and meaning. Culture for numerous migrant families is a very significant means to stay associated with their respective past histories. For many migrants within the UK, culture is often expressed by religion and it also has great significance with respect to their personal identity. It is also placed within a theoretical approach of cultural identity which is also related to our understanding of various social and cultural differences. Cultural relativity Besides comprehending the significance of the role that culture plays regarding understanding the nature of child nurturing, and also that how families respond to the social workers and their agencies, it is also imperative for the social workers to avert themselves from various forms of cultural relativism. Cultural relativism is basically a view or a belief which is held by a person or a class of persons who possess insufficient knowledge regarding the key features of the other cultures in the world, and who believe that the other cultures in the world have no right to criticize their culture. It is a common perception in UK that people judge other cultures in the world on the basis of their own culture which gives rise to false assumptions regarding other cultures and this also results in developing wrong perspectives about other cultures in the minds of the children who are taught by their elders to have such a view or a belief like cultural relativism (Khan & Dominelli, 2000). In order to understand the view points and various aspects of the other cultures, it is imperative that different cultures adapt the various forms of cultural sensitivity, which can assist the social workers to effectively undertake their legal and moral responsibilities, to assist the people in their respective particular cultural surroundings to realize the importance and also to appreciate the strengths of other cultures in the world. Minority and ethnic groups in UK It’s sad to note that the UK, England and Wales in particular have been infamous for their internal problems relating to minority ethnic groups as being labeled as ‘bad’ and are often termed as being controlled in a specific field. Racial and ethnic discrimination has often been a massive problem in UK and there has been very limited consideration to solve this issue within the UK. Several ideas have generated for the purpose of resolving this issue, such as, the nature and intensity of discrimination practiced, the role which is played by the professional decision makers in this regard and also the influence of having an insufficient understanding regarding the cultural issues on the formulation of various policies (Furman, Benson, Grimwood & Canda, 2004). Conclusion In Summary, role of a social worker is highly challenging as well as complicated. Social workers working in the UK have to face several issues which are related to the service users and their families. They have to work with people belonging to all age groups. Social workers have to abide by the code of ethics and conduct which has been outlined by the government of the UK. Promotion of social equality and justice is a highly important tool which all social workers have to implement. It is very important that social workers within the UK have to stick to the conventional professional values and codes of conduct which they previously agreed to uphold and they must make sure that their personal values do not conflict with their work. References Brighton, S. 2007. British Muslims, multiculturalism and UK foreign policy, integration and cohesion in and beyond the state, International Affairs, 83(1), 1-17. Fearon, J. D. 2003. Ethnic and cultural diversity by country, Journal of Economic Growth, 8(2), 195-222. Furman, L. D., Benson, P. W., Grimwood, C., & Canda, E. 2004. Religion and spirituality in social work education and direct practice at the millennium: A survey of UK social workers. British Journal of Social Work, 34(6), 767-792. Kanuha, V. K. 2000. “Being” native versus “going native”: Conducting social work research as an insider. Social Work, 45(5), 439-447. Khan, P., & Dominelli, L. 2000. The impact of globalization on social work in the UK. European Journal of Social Work, 3(2), 95-108. Parekh, B. C. 2002. Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural diversity and political theory, Harvard University Press. Saleebey, D. 1996. The strengths perspective in social work practice: Extensions and cautions. Social Work, 41(3), 296-305. Taylor, C. 1994. Multiculturalism: Examining the Politics of Recognition. Princeton University Press, 41 William St., Princeton, NJ 08540. Read More