Social Work And Ethnicity

Understanding how to work with racially and ethnically diverse populations is crucial to effective social work practice and planning, and it will only become more so as society continues to become more diverse. This textbook brings together academics and practitioners, who draw on real-life scenarios and detailed case studies to help social workers consider the many dimensions of working in a diverse society and to enable them to uncover innovative, well-tailored ways to ensure successful delivery of essential services.

Ethnicity and Social Work Practice offers a broad conceptual model of ethnic identity which enables social workers to practice effectively with clients of all ethnic and racial groups. This book fills a major gap in the literature on social work and ethnicity. It presents ethnicity in an innovative way, focusing on its many dimensions in relation to social work practice. It addresses all areas of social work (individuals, families, groups, and communities) and includes separate chapters on social services, health care, and social planning and policy development.

Without a doubt, structural and institutionalised racism is still present in Britain and Europe, a factor that social work education and training has been slow to acknowledge. In this timely new book, Lavalette and Penketh reveal that racism towards Britain’s minority ethnic groups has undergone a process of change. They affirm the importance of social work to address issues of ‘race’ and racism in education and training by presenting a critical review of a this demanding aspect of social work practice. Original in its approach, and with diverse perspectives from key practitioners in the field, the authors examine contemporary anti-racism, including racism towards Eastern European migrants, Roma people and asylum seekers. It also considers the implications of contemporary racism for current practice. This is essential reading for anyone academically or professionally interested in social work, and the developments in this field of study post 9/11.

Originally published in 1982 Social Work and Ethnicity was the first purpose-written text for social work students, administrators and practitioners designed to prepare them conceptually and practically for work in Britain’s established ethnic minority communities. Much more than the vicissitudes of immigration now had to be considered: this book discusses social work’s response to chronic racial discrimination and disadvantage and the hazards and advantages of taking ethnicity into account in service delivery. Emphasised throughout is the role of the social services in promoting good race relations and a better deal for black people. Social Work and Ethnicity is based on research carried out by Mrs Cheetham and sponsored by the DHSS to identify the major concerns of social workers with ethnic minority clients and to study the development of relevant services in Britain and the USA. The contributing authors are mainly practitioners and come from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds; in fact, this is the first book on social work to be published in Britain to which a substantial contribution has been made by black writers. The specially commissioned contributions discuss the fundamental questions of principle in giving special consideration to ethnicity and underline the implications for practice. In particular, the lessons which Britain can learn from American experience are reviewed. The book opens with a discussion of political and ethical questions; the problems of assessing need and monitoring services are then examined. This is followed by several chapters on the special needs of various ethnic minority client groups, particularly children and young people, who now deserve priority attention. The tricky issue of ethnic matching is discussed, so too are the different methods of developing services which are appropriate to ethnic minority needs and aspirations. Recruitment, training and education for work in a multi-racial society are subjects for several chapters and the book concludes with the experiences of two ethnic minority social workers. This book is a re-issue originally published in 1982. The language used and assumptions made are a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this re-publication.

As the American population becomes increasingly multicultural, it becomes necessary to focus on the particular needs and experiences of different ethnicities. This book does just that within the context of the field of social work, as it explores ways in which class and ethnic factors could contribute to the assessment and intervention process. First written in response to CSWE mandates in the early 1980s for the incorporation of ethnicity in the social work practice sequence, this book is one of the most well-known and respected books on ethnic-sensitive social work practice, diversity practice, or practice with minorities. Through a generalist perspective in its approach the book includes various ethnicities, various populations -- individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities-- and various approaches to practice -- empowerment and strengths perspectives, psychosocial perspectives, problem-solving, task-centered and structural approaches. Social workers and therapists.

This book brings together several valuable papers from different parts of the world, addressing social work with minorities in the areas of disability, sexuality, race, and ethnicity. Collectively, these make an important contribution to developing theory, and practice awareness of how social work education with minority groups is framed, evidenced, and experienced. The perspectives and different strands of work presented within this book offer new insights and a better understanding of how a diverse set of social justice issues confronting social work education have led to the development of different types of interventions both in the classroom and in practice contexts. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal Social Work Education.

Social workers must develop a sensitive yet informed approach when working with service users from different social and cultural groups. In many aspects of life, including accessing human services, people are marginalised, ignored, stigmatised or discriminated against because of one or more aspects of their identity: age, sexual orientation, faith or belief, gender, race or ethnicity, social class, and disability. This book acts as a guide for students to develop their understanding of these various groups while illustrating how the social work value base can be a central part of such understanding.