Week 7: Diversity/Cultural Competence

Important Note: Please use the media player below to hear an audio course introduction that will give you more background information about the course topic. Also provided is a transcript for you to download and print out.

Laureate Education. (Producer). (2013). Diversity/cultural competence [Audio file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Note:  The approximate length of this media piece is 1 minute.

Accessible player –Downloads–Download AudioDownload Transcript

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Analyze agency considerations for diversity
• Analyze agency considerations for cultural competence
• Analyze diversity in relation to agency learning agreement
• Analyze cultural competence in relation to agency learning agreement

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Chapter 10, “Cultural Competence” (pp. 110-124)

Min, J. W. (2005). Cultural competency: A key to effective social work with racially and ethnically diverse elders. Families in Society, 86(3), 347–358.
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Required Media

Laureate Education. (Producer). (2013). Diversity/cultural competence [Audio file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Note:  This audio introduction is located in the “Introduction and Objectives” section. The approximate length of this media piece is 1 minute.

Optional Resources

Click the following link to access the MSW home page, which provides resources for your social work program.

MSW home page

Assignment 1: Week 7 Blog

Refer to the topics covered in this week’s resources and incorporate them into your blog.

By Day 3

Post a blog post that includes:

• A description of diversity and/or cultural competence considerations in your agency
• An explanation of how diversity and/or cultural competence might reflect your agency learning agreement

By Day 4

Respond to the blog post of three colleagues in one or more of the following ways:

• Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
• Expand on your colleague’s posting.

You will be assigned to author regular blog entries as well as make comments on your colleagues’ blog postings.

Be sure to support your blog responses with specific references to this week’s resources and provide full APA citations for your references.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:
Week 7 Assignment 1 Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 4

To participate in this Assignment:
Week 7 Assignment 1

Assignment 2: Evidence Based Practice

According to the Council on Social Work Education, Competency 4: Engage In Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice:

Social workers understand quantitative and qualitative research methods and their respective roles in advancing a science of social work and in evaluating their practice. Social workers know the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and culturally informed and ethical approaches to building knowledge. Social workers understand that evidence that informs practice derives from multi-disciplinary sources and multiple ways of knowing. They also understand the processes for translating research findings into effective practice. Social workers:

• Use practice experience and theory to inform scientific inquiry and research;
• Apply critical thinking to engage in analysis of quantitative and qualitative research methods and research findings; and
• Use and translate research evidence to inform and improve practice, policy, and service delivery.

This assignment is intended to help students demonstrate the behavioral components of this competency in their field education.

To Prepare: Meet with your Field Instructor. During the meeting, you are expected to assess the population(s) served by the agency. After meeting with the Field Instructor, conduct extensive research regarding the agency’s client population. You will be expected to use at least 5 peer-reviewed resources. The purpose of the research is to discover “evidenced based practices” that are most effective while working with clients served within the population. If the agency serves more than one population, select one sub-population within the agency to conduct the review.

The Assignment: Create a 10-12 slide PowerPoint Presentation, where you will explain the following:

1. Population researched
2. Best evidenced based practices modalities used to engage the population
3. Current modalities used in the agency
4. Briefly discuss and suggest to methods of implementing evidence-based practices in the agency
5. Analyze the findings from the articles you researched

Note: You are expected to use a minimum of five references.

Responses

 Emily Worley  at Tuesday, October 8, 2019 3:31:48 PM

Cultural Competency

Cultural diversity is vital within agencies, having staff that can display an understanding for cultural competence is of high value also. Cultural competence is the ability to effectively build such bridges across cultures and to use culturally appropriate helping strategies in all phases of the planned change process (Garthwait, 2017). We have a wide range of clientele that presents for assessments, and the staff at my field are able to adapt and approach each client different to make them feel comfortable. Within the group settings each clinician promotes diversity and does an excellent job at trying to engage all individuals into the conversation. Understanding differences among diverse groups; and communicating well becomes critical when a patient’s health and well-being are at stake (Coyne, 2011). Most of the staff is between the ages of 25 to 45 which I think is vital for being able to relate to the adolescent population that we serve. Working with youth can be a challenging task, but the staff at my field do an excellent job of relating to the clients.

Learning Aggreement

 When reviewing the learning agreement developed for field, a lot of emphasis was placed on becoming competent with cultural diversity. Garthwait, (2017), reports that “the practicum offers you an important opportunity for self-examination and self-correction in terms of such personal limitations. It is important to have a safe place to learn and within the field experience. Developing cultural competence takes practice, most of us have our own personal biases, some that we are not aware of. I had a professor tell me once that any biases or unresolved issues a counselor has will inevitability surface when working with different individuals. Being a substance abuse counselor, I can attest to this. There have been things about myself that I was unaware of that has surfaced in my experience as a substance abuse counselor. This just shows the importance of supervision and the experiences we gain through field. The NSAW ethical standards states that “Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures (NASW, 2017). Within the learning agreement it allows ampule opportunities to exercise and learn cultural competencies.

References:

Coyne, C. (2001). Cultural Competency: Reaching Out to All Populations. PT: Magazine of Physical Therapy, 9(10), 44–50. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=5332915&site=eds-live&scope=site

Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

National Association of Social Workers. (2017). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English

Response 2

 Noelia Antonio  at Tuesday, October 8, 2019 11:34:16 AM

Cultural competency is important as it can help us build positive rapport with those we work with, and can sometimes be the most important aspect of our professional relationships with others (Garthwait, 2017).  I believe it is important to gather information about the clients we serve in order to avoid any misunderstandings and avoid disrespecting them. 

In my field education agency, we work with a plethora of individuals that are diverse and come from different backgrounds. Our clientele ranges from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to higher ones, different sexual orientations, cultures, languages, religious backgrounds and upbringings. The one similar thing they have in common is that they are involved in child welfare involuntarily. It was found that those working in child welfare and had further training in cultural competency led to more effective relationships with their family and more helpful with them, as reported by families themselves (Cheng & Lo, 2018). 

Cultural competency is reflected in my learning agreement because it states that I will work to become aware of cultural differences to ensure that all are being treated and respectfully. It is also important to be self-aware of our own personal biases towards certain differences in others. Not being aware can result in unintentional discrimination (Garthwait, 2017). Discrimination can lead to negative and unsuccessful outcomes within the progress of those being discriminated against. 

References:

Cheng, T. C., & Lo, C. C. (2018). Do social work education, job description, and cultural competence foster child‐welfare caseworkers’ therapeutic alliances? Child & Family Social Work, 23(3), 435–442. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1111/cfs.12434

Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Response 3

 Surnita Warner  at Monday, October 7, 2019 9:20:39 PM

• Garthwait (2017) references that “culture includes not only references to ethnicity or background, but also such variables as age, religion, level of physical ability, and gender and sexual orientation(p.111).” At the field placement, I encounter conversations with individuals of different sexual orientations. When clients verbalized thoughts about their partner, I related to their conversation as a heterosexual relationship. However, I’ve learned that same sex indivduals relate to their significant others, as a partner. In becoming culturally competent, I’m able to consider the client’s feelings and help appropriately in developing changes needed. In gaining this knowledge, I can speak appropriately without offending the client and I can help the client remain motivated.
   

Diversity and or cultural competence reflects the agency learning agreement because it helps the intern make ethical decisions while applying the standards of the social work ethical codes and helps to discuss the strengths and challenges to engage with differences. As such, an important ethical code is cultural awareness and diversity. The NASW (2017) reference cultural awareness and diversity as “Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures.” In fulfilling this agency learning agreement, I make sure to think about the individual. While I’m on the phone, I engage with diverse clientele and I utilize cultural awareness so that the client remains confident in communicating. I gain awareness of the client’s culture by asking or researching, so that I may carry out cultural competence. In addition, while  I gain understanding from the supervisor at the field placement when receiving feedback on the calls I have with diverse individuals I become culturally competent .  

References

Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.)pp.110-111. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

NASW. (2017)“Read the Code of Ethics: Ethical Principles.” www.socialworkers.org, 2019,