NASW STANDARDS AND INDICATORS
FOR
CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
Draft for Public Comment
May 6, 2015
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Contents
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Overview of Standards
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Introduction
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Definitions
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Goals and Objectives
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Acknowledgments
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Standards and Indicators for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice
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Standard 1. Ethics and Values
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Standard 2. Self-Awareness
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Standard 3. Cross-Cultural Knowledge
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Standard 4. Cross-Cultural Skills
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Standard 5. Service Delivery
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Standard 6. Empowerment and Advocacy
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Standard 7. Diverse Workforce
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Standard 8. Professional Education
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Standard 9. Language Diversity
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Standard 10. Cross-Cultural Leadership
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References
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Overview of NASW Standards for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice
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Standard 1. Ethics and Values
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Social workers shall function in accordance with the values, ethics, and standards
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of the Code of Ethics (2008) of NASW. Culturally competent practices require
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self-awareness, cultural humility and the commitment to understanding and
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embracing culture as relevant and central to effective practice with diverse
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groups.
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Standard 2. Self-Awareness
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Social workers shall demonstrate an appreciation of their own cultural identities
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and those of others when working with diverse groups. Social Workers must
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also be aware of their own privilege and power by the nature of their roles or
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worldview and must acknowledge this position’s impact in work with clients
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from other cultures.
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Standard 3. Cross-Cultural Knowledge
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Social workers shall have and continue to develop specialized knowledge and
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understanding about the history, traditions, values, family systems, and artistic
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expressions of client groups served in the different cultures related to race and
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ethnicity, immigration and refugee status, religion and spirituality, sexual
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orientation, social class, and abilities with cultural humility.
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Standard 4. Cross-Cultural Skills
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Social workers will use a broad range of skills (micro, mezzo and macro) and
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techniques that demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the importance
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of culture in practice, policy and research. Social workers will also demonstrate
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cultural humility and sensitivity to the dynamics of power and privilege in all areas
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of social work.
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Standard 5. Service Delivery
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Social workers shall be knowledgeable about and skillful in the use of services,
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resources, institutions and individuals available to serve diverse cultures within
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communities and be able to make appropriate referrals within formal and informal
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networks for diverse client groups.. They should also be cognizant of and work to
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address the absence of services for client groups.
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Standard 6. Empowerment and Advocacy
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Social workers shall be aware of the impact of social systems, policies, practices
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and programs on diverse client populations, advocating for, with and on behalf of
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diverse clients and client populations whenever appropriate. Social workers
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should also participate in the development and implementation of policies and
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practices that empower and advocate for diverse, marginalized and oppressed
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populations.
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Standard 7. Diverse Workforce
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Social workers shall support and advocate for recruitment, admissions and hiring,
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and retention efforts in social work programs and agencies that ensure diversity
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within the profession.
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Standard 8. Professional Education
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Social workers shall advocate for, develop and participate in professional
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education and training that advance cultural competence within the profession.
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Social workers should embrace cultural competence as a focus of lifelong
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learning.
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Standard 9. Linguistic Competence
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Social workers shall provide and advocate for effective communication with
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culturally diverse groups, including persons of limited English proficiency, low
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literacy skills, persons with disabilities, persons who are blind or have low vision,
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and persons who are deaf or hard of hearing.
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Standard 10. Leadership to Advance Cultural Competence
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Social workers shall be change agents who demonstrate the leadership skills to
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work effectively with diverse groups in agencies, organizational settings and
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communities. Social workers should also demonstrate responsibility for
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advancing cultural competence within and beyond our organizations, helping to
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build and sustain diverse and inclusive institutions and communities.
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Introduction
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This revision of the National Standards for Cultural Competence in the Social
Work Profession (the Standards) reflects the growth in the understanding of
cultural competence since the development of both the Standards for Cultural
Competence in Social Work Practice published in 2001 and the Indicators for the
NASW Standards for Cultural Competence in the Social Work Practice (2006).
These revised Standards are anchored in the policy statement “Cultural and
Linguistic Competence in the Social Work Profession” published in Social Work
Speaks: NASW Policy Statements (2015) and the NASW Code of Ethics (2008),
which charges social workers with the ethical responsibility to be culturally
competent. The Indicators for the Achievement of the NASW Standards for
Cultural Competence in the Social Work Profession were developed in 2006 as an
extension of the Standards to provide additional guidance on the implementation
and realization of culturally competent practice.
This revision developed by the 2015 NASW National Committee on Racial and
Ethnic Diversity builds upon the previous work to introduce new concepts and
expand upon others. These standards reinforce the concept of ‘culture” as being
inclusive beyond race and ethnicity, inclusive of but not limited to sexual
orientation, gender identity and expression, and religious identity or spirituality.
Similarly, they reinforce the intended audience for these standards are to the
broad spectrum of social work practice at the micro, mezzo and macro levels. The
revised standards introduce concepts of “cultural humility”, as a guiding stance
vis-á -vis cultural differences, and “intersectionality”, as a way of understanding
the complexity of the experiences of those at the margins of our society. In
addition, the revision introduces “linguistic competence” as a concept to address
a range of communication issues to include limited English proficiency, literacy
and disabilities. Finally, the revisions revisit the way we as a profession engages in
‘leadership’ to promote and advance cultural competence within the profession,
human services and society at large.
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NASW “promotes and supports the implementation of cultural and linguistic
competence at three intersecting levels: the individual, institutional, and societal.
Cultural competence requires social workers to examine their own cultural
backgrounds and identities while seeking out the necessary knowledge, skills and
values that can enhance the delivery of services to people with varying cultural
experiences associated with their race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation,
religion, age or disability.” (NASW, 2015, p.65)
The United States is constantly undergoing major demographic changes. The
demographic shift is projected to continue with an increase in minority
populations. In 1980, eighty percent of the population was white and in 2014, the
proportion had decreased to sixty three percent and projected through 2060 to
continue this decline to forty four percent. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). Shifts in
the growth of minority populations (Hispanics, Asians, Blacks, and Native
Americans) are projected to continue to increase, and by 2044 more than fifty
percent of Americans are expected to be a member of a minority group. (Colby,
S., & Ortman, J., 2014). Those changes alter and increase the diversity confronting
social work practitioners, administrators, and executives daily in their settings.
These changes affect the social work policy agenda at organizational, local
community, county, state and national levels. They challenge social work
educators to effectively recruit, retain and graduate a diverse student body, and
to deliver a robust curriculum that embeds the implications of cultural diversity in
all aspects of social work practice. Finally, these demographic changes challenge
social work researchers to examine questions of relevance to culturally diverse
populations and engage in culturally competent research practices. The
complexities associated with cultural diversity in the United States affect all
aspects of professional social work practice, requiring social workers to strive to
deliver culturally competent services to an ever-increasing broad range of clients
and communities. The social work profession, with contributions of pioneers such
as Richmond (1922), Reynolds (1935), and Bartlett (1970), traditionally has
emphasized the importance of the person-in-environment (PIE) system to address
social functioning, in which individuals experience relationships influenced by
interrelated factors of functioning, environmental, physical and emotional
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challenges, and Karl and O’Keefe (2008) have advanced the person in
environment concept to address functionality. Social workers using this
ecological perspective of a person-in-environment framework for assessment
recognize the need to include varying degrees of important cultural factors that
have meaning for clients and reflect the culture of the world around them.
Diversity is more than race and ethnicity, and includes the sociocultural
experiences of people of different genders, social classes, religious and spiritual
beliefs, sexual orientations, ages, and physical and mental abilities. The social
work and human service literature points to the range of potential content areas
that require culturally appropriate and culturally competent interventions. These
include addressing racial identity formation for people of color as well as for
white people; the interrelationship among class, race, ethnicity, and gender;
working with low-income families; working with older adults; the importance of
religion and spirituality in the lives of clients; the development of gender identity
and sexual orientation; immigration, acculturation, and assimilation stresses;
biculturalism; working with people with disabilities; empowerment skills;
community building; reaching out to new populations of color; conscious and
unconscious bias; cultural humility, culture- specific and culturally-adapted
interventions; and how to train for culturally competent models of practice.
Cultural competence in social work practice implies a heightened consciousness
of how culturally diverse populations experience their uniqueness and deal with
their differences and similarities within a larger social context. Concurrently,
cultural competence requires social workers to use an intersectionality approach
to practice, examining forms of oppression, discrimination, and domination
through diversity components of race and ethnicity, immigration and refugee
status, religion and spirituality, sexual orientation and gender identity and
expression, social class and abilities. Further it requires that social workers
acknowledge their own position of power vis-á-vis the populations served and
present themselves in a stance of “cultural humility” (Tervalon &Murray-Garcia,
1998). The achievement of cultural competence is an ongoing process. Although
these standards and their accompanying indicators describe an ideal state, the
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National Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity (NCORED) encourages social
work practitioners and agency leaders to put forth good faith efforts to use them.
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Definitions
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The National Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in 2015 has revised the
definitions of culture and cultural competence and added definitions of cultural
humility and intersectionality that are important to social work practice at the
micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Definitions are drawn from the NASW Code of
Ethics (2008), The 10th edition of Social Work Speaks (2015), the 6th edition of The
Social Work Dictionary (2013) and other academic sources.
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Areas of Practice
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In these standards, “practice” refers to at all levels of practice- micro, mezzo, and
macro. The following definitions come from 6th Edition of The Social Work
Dictionary (Barker, 2013)
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Macro Practice
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Social Work practice “aimed at bringing about improvement and changes in the
general society. Such activities include some types of political action, community
organization, public education campaigning, and the administration of broadbased social services agencies or public welfare departments” (Barker, 2013, p.
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Mezzo Practice
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Refers to “Social work practice primarily with families and small groups.
Important activities at this level include facilitating communication, mediation
and negotiation; educating; and bringing people together.” (Barker, 2013 p. 269)
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Micro Practice
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“The term used by social workers to identify professional activities that are
designed to help solve the problems faced primarily by individuals, families and
small groups. Usually micro practice focuses on direct intervention on a case-by-
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case basis or in a clinical setting ”(Barker 2013, p. 269).
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Culture
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Culture is a universal phenomenon reflecting diversity, norms of behavior, and
awareness of global interdependence (Link & Ramanathan, 2011).
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“The word ‘culture’ is used because it implies the integrated pattern of human
behavior that includes thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs,
values, and institutions of a racial, ethnic, religious, or social group” (NCCC, 2015).
Culture often is referred to as the totality of ways being passed on from
generation to generation. The term culture includes ways in which people with
disabilities or people from various religious backgrounds or people who are gay,
lesbian, or transgender experience the world around them. Culture includes
history, traditions, values, family systems, and artistic expressions of client groups
served in the different cultures related to race and ethnicity, immigration and
refugee status, religion and spirituality, sexual orientation, social class, and
abilities.
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The Preamble to the NASW Code of Ethics (2008) states: “The primary mission of
the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the
basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and
empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.”
And it continues, “Social workers are sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and
strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social
injustice.”
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Cultural and ethnic diversity is mentioned in two ethical standards:
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1) Value: Social Justice
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Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge social injustice.
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“Social workers social change efforts are focused on issues of social injustice.
These activities seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression
and cultural and ethnic diversity.
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2) Value: Dignity and Worth of the Person
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Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the
person.
This value states “social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful
fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity.
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Cultural Competence
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Cultural competence refers to the process by which individuals and systems
respond respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, languages, classes,
races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, spiritual traditions, immigration status and
other diversity factors in a manner that recognizes, affirms, and values the worth
of individuals, families, and communities and protects and preserves the dignity
of each (Fong & Furuto, 2001; Fong, 2004; Lum, 2011)
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“Cultural competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that
come together in a system or agency or among professionals and enable the
system, agency, or professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations”
(NCCC, 2015).
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Operationally defined, cultural competence is the integration and transformation
of knowledge about individuals and groups of people into specific standards,
policies, practices, and attitudes used in appropriate cultural settings to increase
the quality of services, thereby producing better outcomes (Davis & Donald,
1997). Competence in cross-cultural functioning means learning new patterns of
behavior and effectively applying them in appropriate settings. Gallegos (1982)
provided one of the first conceptualizations of ethnic competence as “a set of
procedures and activities to be used in acquiring culturally relevant insights into
the problems of minority clients and the means of applying such insights to the
development of intervention strategies that are culturally appropriate for these
clients” (p. 4). This kind of sophisticated cultural competence does not come
naturally to any social worker and requires a high level of professionalism and
knowledge.
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On the organizational level, there are five essential elements that contribute to a
system’s ability to become more culturally competent (Cross, Bazron, Dennis and
Isaacs, 1989 cited in NCCC, 2015). The system should (1) value diversity, (2) have
the capacity for cultural self-assessment, (3) be conscious of the dynamics
inherent when cultures interact, (4) institutionalize cultural knowledge, and (5)
develop programs and services that reflect an understanding of diversity between
and within cultures. These five elements must be manifested in every level of the
service delivery system. They should be reflected in attitudes, structures, policies,
and services.
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The specific Ethical Standard for culturally competent social work practice is
contained under Section 1 of the NASW Code of Ethics (2008). Social workers’
ethical responsibilities to clients.
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1.05 Cultural Competence and Social Diversity
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 Social workers should understand culture and its functions in human
behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures.
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 Social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients’ cultures and
be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are
sensitive to clients’ cultures and to differences among people and cultural
groups.
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 Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the
nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity,
national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, political
belief, religion, and mental or physical disability.
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Finally, the Code reemphasizes the importance of cultural competence in the last
section of the Code, Section 6. Social Workers Ethical Responsibilities to the
Broader Society.
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6.04 Social and Political Action
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Social workers should act to expand choice and opportunity for all people, with
special regard for vulnerable, disadvantaged, oppressed, and exploited people
and groups.
Social workers should promote conditions that encourage respect for cultural and
social diversity within the United States and globally. Social workers should
promote policies and practices that demonstrate respect for difference, support
the expansion of cultural knowledge and resources, advocate for programs and
institutions that demonstrate cultural competence, and promote policies that
safeguard the rights of and confirm equity and social justice for all people. Social
workers should act to prevent and eliminate domination of, exploitation of, and
discrimination against any person, group, or class on the basis of race, ethnicity,
national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, political belief,
religion, or mental or physical disability.
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Cultural competence is never fully realized, achieved, or completed, but rather
cultural competence is a lifelong process for social workers who will always
encounter diverse clients and new situations in their practice. Supervisors,
colleagues and workers should have the expectation that cultural competence is
an ongoing learning process integral and central to daily supervision.
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Cultural Humility
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For development of cultural competence knowledge, training, acquiring and use
of skill sets to be effective, we need to be both aware and attentive to the
dynamic quality of culture and be committed to the practice of cultural humility.
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Cultural humility is an important facet / ingredient of professional identity that
encourages self evolvement / evolvement of self through ones professional life, as
well as evolvement of the profession’s identity that bridges social distance as well
as power differential between the social worker / human service worker and
client systems (Ramanathan, 2014).
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Cultural Humility is the attitude and practice of working with clients at the micro,
mezzo, and macro levels with a presence of humility while learning,
communicating, offering help, and making decisions in professional practice and
settings. According to Tervalon and Murray-Garcia (1998), “Cultural humility
incorporates a lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and self-critique, to
redressing the power imbalances in the patient-physician dynamic, and to
developing mutually beneficial and non paternalistic clinical and advocacy
partnerships with communities on behalf of individuals and defined populations”
( p.117). The practice of cultural humility provides greater focus on the role of the
social worker as learner and listener, empowering clients as “experts’ in their own
lives. In this context, cultural humility is viewed as both a value and practice. As
Hook, Davis, Owen, Worthington and Utsey (2013) suggest that cultural humility
is a way of maintaining interpersonal stance that is other-oriented.
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Intersectionality
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Intersectionality theory (grounded in a feminist perspective) examines forms of
oppression, discrimination, and domination as they manifest themselves through
diversity components (Crenshaw, 1989; Hancock, 2007; Hunt, Zajicek, Norris &
Hamilton, 2009, Viruell-Fuentes, Miranda & Abdulrahim, 2012). These diversity
components include race and ethnicity, immigration and refugee status, religion
and spirituality, sexual orientation, social class, and abilities.
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An intersectionality approach to social work practice at the micro, mezzo, and
macro levels includes integrating the various diversity components and
approaching practice from a holistic point of view. For example, a first generation
person would be approached to receiving help in recognition of his or her race
and ethnicity, religious and spiritual expression, sexual orientation, social class,
sexual orientation and abilities in the context of his or her nuclear and extended
family and community. Intersectionality theory is reinforced by critical race theory
and social systems theory, emphasizing people and their human behavior in their
social and economic environments. Thus, intersectionality perspective provides a
comprehensive approach with a commitment to social justice, and captures
transactions in the person in environment configuration that form the common
base for social work knowledge and practice.
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Goals and Objectives of the Standards
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These standards provide guidance and focus for the development
of effective culturally competent social work practice. These standards provide
guidance to social workers in all areas of social work practice in responding
effectively, reflectively, knowledgeably, sensitively, and skillfully to culture and
cultural diversity in policy and practice settings.
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These standards, revised in 2015, incorporate updated literature in culturally
competent practice. These revised standards are intended to be inclusive of
populations served and focused on self-awareness, cultural humility and the
dynamics of power and privilege. Cultural humility, which is integral to culturally
competent practice, is described and highlighted in this revision of the standards.
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The specific goals of the standards are to:
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 provide the social work profession with articulated standards to guide
knowledge, skills and values in practice and policy development related to
culturally diverse populations.
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 articulate specific standards to guide growth, learning, and assessment in
the area of cultural competence
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 establish standard indicators so that social workers in all areas of practice
can monitor and evaluate culturally competent practice and policies
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 educate consumers, governmental regulatory bodies, and others, such as
insurance carriers, about the profession’s standards for culturally
competent practice
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 maintain and improve the quality of culturally competent services provided
by social workers in agencies, programs and private practice settings
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 inform specific ethical guidelines for culturally competent social work
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practice in agency and private practice settings
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 document standards for agencies, peer review committees, state regulatory
bodies, insurance carriers, and others.
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Standard 1. Ethics and Values
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Social workers shall function in accordance with the values, ethics, and standards
of the Code of Ethics (2008) of NASW. Culturally competent practices require
self-awareness, cultural humility and the commitment to understanding and
embracing culture as relevant and central to effective practice with diverse
groups.
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Interpretation
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A major characteristic of a profession is its ability to establish ethical standards to
help professionals identify ethical issues in practice and to guide them in
determining what is ethically acceptable and unacceptable behavior (Reamer,
1998). The NASW Code of Ethics (2008) speaks directly to cultural competence in
section 1.05-Cultural Competence and Social Diversity. The Code includes a
mission statement, which sets forth several key elements in social work practice,
mainly the social workers’ commitment to enhancing human well-being and
helping meet basic human needs of all people; client empowerment; service to
people who are vulnerable and oppressed; focus on individual well-being in a
social context; promotion of social justice and social change; and sensitivity to
cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers clearly have an ethical responsibility
to be culturally competent. The NASW Code of Ethics (2008) also identifies
service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human
relationships, integrity and competence—all values that provide a foundation for
culturally competent practice.
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Regarding cultural competence the NASW Code of Ethics states:
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a. Social workers should understand culture and its function in human
behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures.
b. Social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients’ cultures and
be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are
sensitive to clients’ cultures and to differences among people and cultural
groups.
c. Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the
nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity,
national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,
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age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental
or physical disability.
The term “cultural humility,” has been introduced in these standards to
underscore its importance in culturally competent practice. Tervalon & MurrayGarcia (1998) describe cultural humility as follows,
“Cultural humility incorporates a lifelong commitment to self-evaluation
and self-critique, to redressing the power imbalances in the patientphysician dynamic, and to developing mutually beneficial and non
paternalistic clinical and advocacy partnerships with communities on behalf
of individuals and defined populations” p.117.
In relationship to child welfare practice, Ortega & Coulborn (2011) describe a
cultural humility perspective as one that “encourages workers to take into
account an individual’s multiple identities and the ways in which their social
experiences impact their worldview, particularly as it related to their expression
of their culture. This perspective has the benefit of placing the worker in a
learning mode as opposed to maintaining power, control and authority in the
working relationship, especially over cultural experiences about which the client is
far more knowledgeable (p. 33). The practice of cultural humility provides greater
focus on the role of the social worker as learner and listener, empowering clients
as “experts’ in their own lives. In this context, cultural humility is viewed as both
a value and practice.
Culture may affect how individuals cope with problems and interact with each
other. What is assessed as behaviorally appropriate in one culture may be
assessed as problematic in another. Accepted practice in one culture may be
prohibited in another. To fully understand and appreciate these differences, social
workers must be familiar with varying cultural traditions and norms.
Clients’ cultural backgrounds may affect their help-seeking behaviors. The ways in
which social services are planned and implemented must be culturally sensitive
and responsive to client needs in order to be culturally effective. Cultural
competence builds on the profession’s ethics and values relative to selfdetermination and individual dignity and worth and embraces the practices of
inclusion, tolerance, cultural humility and respect for culture and diversity,
broadly defined. Social workers are required to struggle with ethical dilemmas
arising from value conflicts or special needs of diverse clients (such as helping
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clients enroll in mandated training or mental health services that are culturally
insensitive.) Cultural competence requires social workers to recognize the
strengths that exist in all cultures while renouncing cultural practices that violate
human rights and dignity. (This does not imply a universal nor automatic
acceptance of all practices of all cultures) For example, some cultures subjugate
women, oppress persons based on sexual orientation, and value the use of
corporal punishment and the death penalty. Cultural competence in social work
practice must be informed by and applied within the context of NASW’s Code of
Ethics and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
Indicators
Culturally competent social workers will demonstrate
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1. Knowledge and practice of the NASW Code of Ethics
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2. Understanding cultural humility as a complement to client self-determination
and worker self-awareness
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3. Commitment to social justice and human rights.
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4. Ability to describe and negotiate areas of conflict and congruity between
personal and professional values, and those of other cultures.
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5. Ability to recognize the convergence and disparity between how the values
and practices of the dominant society and the values and practices of the
historically oppressed, underrepresented, and underserved populations.
541
6. Respect for cultural differences and strengths
542
7. Capacities to manage and effectively negotiate the ethical dilemmas
encountered in work with diverse groups in relative to:
538
539
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
boundaries
conflicts in values and expectations
power and privilege
norms of behavior
styles of advocacy
diverse values and beliefs
dual relationships
551
• styles of conflict management.
552
553
554
Standard 2. Self-Awareness
555
556
557
558
559
560
Social workers shall demonstrate an appreciation of their own cultural identities
and those of others when working with diverse groups. Social Workers must
also be aware of their own privilege and power by the nature of their roles or
worldview and must acknowledge this position’s impact in work with clients
from other cultures.
561
562
563
Interpretation
564
Cultural competence requires social workers to examine their own cultural
565
backgrounds and identities to increase awareness of personal assumptions,
566
values, stereotypes and biases. The workers’ self-awareness of their own cultural
567
identities is as fundamental to practice as the informed assumptions about
568
clients’ cultural backgrounds and experiences in the United States. This
569
awareness of personal values, beliefs, stereotypes and biases inform their
570
practice and influence relationships with clients. Social Workers must also be
571
aware of occupying a role of privilege and power by the nature of their role or
572
worldview and must acknowledge this position’s impact on oppressed
573
populations. Cultural competence includes knowing and acknowledging how
574
fears, ignorance, and the “isms” (racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, heterosexism,
575
ageism, ableism, classism) have influenced their attitudes, beliefs, and feelings.
576
577
Social workers need to be able to move from being culturally aware of their own
578
heritage to becoming culturally aware of the heritage of others. They can value
579
and celebrate differences in others rather than maintain an ethnocentric stance
580
and can demonstrate comfort with differences between themselves and others.
581
They have an awareness of personal and professional limitations that may
582
warrant the referral of a client to another social worker or agency that can best
583
meet the clients’ needs. Self-awareness and self-reflection also helps in
584
understanding the process of cultural identity formation and helps guard against
585
stereotyping. As one develops the diversity within one’s own group, one can be
586
more open to the diversity within other groups.
587
588
Cultural competence also requires social workers to appreciate how workers
589
need to move from cultural awareness to cultural sensitivity before achieving
590
cultural competence and to evaluate growth and development throughout these
591
different levels of cultural competence in practice.
592
593
Self-awareness becomes the basis for professional development and should be
594
supported by supervision and agency administration. Agency administrators and
595
public policy advocates also need to develop strategies to reduce their own
596
biases and expand their self-awareness.
597
598
Standard 2. Self-Awareness
599
600
601
602
603
604
Social workers shall demonstrate an appreciation of their own cultural identities
and those of others when working with diverse groups. Social Workers must
also be aware of their own privilege and power by the nature of their roles or
worldview and must acknowledge this position’s impact in work with clients
from other cultures.
605
606
607
Interpretation
608
Cultural competence requires social workers to examine their own cultural
609
backgrounds and identities to increase awareness of personal assumptions,
610
values, stereotypes and biases. The workers’ self-awareness of their own cultural
611
identities is as fundamental to practice as the informed assumptions about
612
clients’ cultural backgrounds and experiences in the United States. This
613
awareness of personal values, beliefs, stereotypes and biases inform their
614
practice and influence relationships with clients. Social Workers must also be
615
aware of occupying a role of privilege and power by the nature of their role or
616
worldview and must acknowledge this position’s impact on oppressed
617
populations. Cultural competence includes knowing and acknowledging how
618
fears, ignorance, and the “isms” (racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, heterosexism,
619
ageism, ableism, classism) have influenced their attitudes, beliefs, and feelings.
620
621
Social workers need to be able to move from being culturally aware of their own
622
heritage to becoming culturally aware of the heritage of others. They can value
623
and celebrate differences in others rather than maintain an ethnocentric stance
624
and can demonstrate comfort with differences between themselves and others.
625
They have an awareness of personal and professional limitations that may
626
warrant the referral of a client to another social worker or agency that can best
627
meet the clients’ needs. Self-awareness and self-reflection also helps in
628
understanding the process of cultural identity formation and helps guard against
629
stereotyping. As one develops the diversity within one’s own group, one can be
630
more open to the diversity within other groups.
631
632
Cultural competence also requires social workers to appreciate how workers
633
need to move from cultural awareness to cultural sensitivity before achieving
634
cultural competence and to evaluate growth and development throughout these
635
different levels of cultural competence in practice.
636
637
Self-awareness becomes the basis for professional development and should be
638
supported by supervision and agency administration. Agency administrators and
639
public policy advocates also need to develop strategies to reduce their own
640
biases and expand their self-awareness.
641
642
643
Indicators
Culturally competent social workers will
644
1. examine and describe their cultural background, social identities, and
645
cultural heritage, religious and spiritual beliefs to increase awareness
646
of assumptions, values, beliefs, stereotypes, biases and recognize how
647
these affect services and influence relationships and interactions with
648
clients.
649
650
2. identify how knowledge, fears, and “isms” (racism, sexism,
651
ethnocentrism, heterosexism, ageism, ableism, classism) influence
652
attitudes, beliefs, and feelings.
653
654
655
3. develop and apply strategies to inform and change their detrimental
attitudes, beliefs, and feelings.
656
657
4. demonstrate an awareness of personal or professional limitations that
658
may warrant the referral of a client or organization to another
659
resource that can better meet their needs and the skills to do this
660
effectively.
661
662
663
664
665
5. demonstrate increased comfort with self- and other-awareness about
different cultural customs and views of the world.
666
6. use relationships with supervisors, mentors, and colleagues to enrich
self-awareness and self-reflection.
667
668
669
7. practice cultural humility to balance the dynamics of power and
670
privilege inherent in the social work position and the practitioner’s
671
multiple identities.
672
673
Standard 3. Cross-Cultural Knowledge Social workers shall have and continue to
674
develop specialized knowledge and understanding about the history, traditions,
675
values, family systems, and artistic expressions of client groups served in the
676
different cultures related to race and ethnicity, immigration and refugee status,
677
religion and spirituality, sexual orientation, social class, and abilities with cultural
678
humility.
679
680
Interpretation
681
Culture is a universal phenomenon and everyone is part of a culture. Cultural
682
education begins with social workers understanding their own roots and culture,
683
and with such a sense of grounded identity, they can learn and value others. To
684
have a grounded understanding of diversity, adequate awareness of global
685
interdependence is critical. In order to be effective social work practitioners and
686
researchers, there is a need to focus on cultural awareness as well as cross-
687
cultural transactions. This awareness of global interdependence is critical,
688
whether the professional social worker is engaged in social work assessment,
689
intervention, or evaluation. Unprecedented movement of people across the
690
globe, globalization of labor, concerted attention to educational exchanges, to
691
prepare practitioners of an interdependent world increases the importance of
692
cultural competence and (Link & Ramanathan, 2011) cross cultural knowledge.
693
This global interdependence is an integral part of the multicultural knowledge
694
base of social workers.
695
Cultural competence is dynamic and requires frequent learning, unlearning, and
696
relearning about diversity. Social workers need to expand their cultural religious
697
traditions, spiritual belief systems, knowledge and expertise by expanding their
698
understanding of the following areas: “the impact of culture on behavior,
699
attitudes, and values; the help-seeking behaviors of diverse client groups; the role
700
of language, speech patterns, religious traditions, spiritual belief systems, and
701
communication styles of various client groups in the communities served; the
702
impact of social service policies on various client groups; the resources (agencies,
703
people, informal helping networks, and research) that can be used on behalf of
704
diverse client groups; the ways that professional values may conflict with or
705
accommodate the needs of diverse client groups; and the power relationships in
706
the community, agencies, or institutions and their impact on diverse client
707
groups” (Gallegos, 1982, pp. 7–8).
708
Cultural competence refers to social workers ability to identify their own
709
affiliations to culture and recognize and respect differing traditions of culture in
710
others in ways that influence styles of communication and expressions of respect.
711
This description implies deep understanding of the layers within us that are built
712
through cultural heritage and “norms” of behavior. People in parallel cultures may
713
not share Norms, and caution is advised because the word “normal” could
714
become a trap for judging others (Link & Ramanathan, 2011). Naturally, to have
715
this frame of reference will require that we approach this understanding with
716
cultural humility.
717
Social workers need to possess specific knowledge about the particular providers
718
and client groups they work with. This would include historical experiences,
719
religious traditions, spiritual belief systems, individual and group oppression,
720
adjustment styles, socioeconomic backgrounds, life processes, learning styles,
721
worldviews and specific cultural customs and practices, definitions of and beliefs
722
about wellness and illness or normality and abnormality, and the delivery of
723
services.
724
They also must seek specialized knowledge about U.S. social, cultural, and
725
political systems. Knowledge of how the systems operate and how they serve or
726
fail to serve specific client groups would be important. This includes knowledge of
727
institutional, class, culture, religious traditions, spiritual belief systems, and
728
language barriers that prevent diverse client group members from using services.
729
Culturally competent social workers need to know the limitations and strengths of
730
current theories, processes and practice models, and which have specific
731
applicability and relevance to the service needs of culturally, religiously and
732
spiritually diverse client groups.
733
Indicators
734
Culturally competent social workers will:
735
736
737
738
1. expand their cultural knowledge, expertise, and humility by studying:
• the help-seeking behaviors and pathways of diverse client
groups
739
• the historical context of diverse communities
740
• the role of language, speech patterns, and communication styles
741
of diverse client groups
742
• the impact of social service policies on diverse groups served
743
• the resources such as agencies, people, informal helping
744
networks, and research that can be mobilized on behalf of diverse
745
clients
746
2. possess specific knowledge about traditional and nontraditional
747
providers and client groups that they serve, including:
748
understanding historical experiences, immigration, resettlement
749
patterns, individual and group oppression, adjustment styles,
750
socioeconomic backgrounds, and life processes
751
 learning styles, cognitive skills, worldviews, and specific cultural
752
concerns and practices
753
 definitions of and beliefs about service-related concepts such as
754
the causation of wellness and illness, physical and psychological
755
disorders, normality and abnormality, family roles and
756
responsibilities, child rearing practices, birth, marriage, death and
757
dying, and so forth
758
 beliefs and practices related to how care and services should be
759
delivered, including diverse approaches to service delivery and
760
alternative healing options
761
762
763
 factors associated with acculturation and assimilation.
3. demonstrate knowledge of the power relationships in the community
and in institutions, and how these affect diverse groups.
764
765
4. possess specific knowledge about U.S., global, social, cultural, and
766
political systems—how they operate and how they serve or fail to
767
serve client groups; include knowledge about institutional, class,
768
cultural, and language barriers to service.
769
5. identify the limitations and strengths of contemporary theories and
770
practice models and identify those that have applicability and
771
relevance to their specific client population.
772
773
774
6. recognize the heterogeneity within cultural groups and similarity
across cultural groups.
775
776
7. describe how people within different groups manifest privilege.
777
778
779
8. describe the effects that dominant and non- dominant status has on
interpersonal relations and group dynamics in the workplace.
780
781
782
9. distinguish between intentional and unintentional assertion of race
and class privilege.
783
784
785
10.recognize the intersection of “isms” (for example, racism with
classism) and the institutionalization of “isms”.
786
787
11.acknowledge the ways in which their membership in various social
788
groups influences their worldview and contributes to their own
789
patterns of privileged behavior or internalized oppression.
790
791
12.understand the interaction of the cultural systems of the social
792
worker, client, the particular service setting, and the broader
793
immediate community.
794
795
796
797
13.demonstrate cultural humility and empathy towards clients from
the different cultural groups.
798
799
Standard 4. Cross-Cultural Skills
800
Social workers will use a broad range of skills (micro, mezzo and macro) and
techniques that demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the importance
of culture in practice, policy and research. Social workers will also demonstrate
cultural humility and sensitivity to the dynamics of power and privilege in all areas
of social work.
801
802
803
804
805
806
Interpretation
807
Practice in an increasingly multicultural and global world requires social workers
to hone new skills for practice and policy development while continuing to
enhance the knowledge base that informs the enhancement of their skills. Most
specifically, active listening, empathy, strengths-based interventions are essential
skills in culturally competence practice. In addition, comfort in asking questions,
critical thinking, and comfort in “not knowing” opens communication and builds
the relationships critical to helping and advancing social justice.
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
Cultural humility is described as a complement to cultural competence (Ortega &
Coulborn, 2011). Cultural humility actively involves diverse clients in the delivery
of services, research, and policy making thereby mitigating the expectation that
social workers should know about all cultures. Social workers should
demonstrate the skill to work sensitively and effectively at counteracting biases
based on our own positions of power and privilege.
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
Skills in cross-cultural practice include the ability to convey and communicate
authenticity, genuineness, empathy, and warmth and to engage the cultural and
community resources important to client and client groups. Engaging the client in
finding solutions requires clinical skills of engagement and the flexibility to
consider what is best for the client. Second language acquisition and expertise
are included here as cross-cultural skills.
828
829
830
831
832
833
In policy and research settings, social workers should demonstrate the ability to
critique and assess policies and research for cultural appropriateness, sensitivity,
relevance and inclusiveness, to ensure that outcomes benefit client groups or
populations. This includes engaging client groups in the design of policy and
research.
More specifically, social workers with cross-cultural skills:
834
835
836
837
838
 work with people and groups from different cultures, religions, and spiritual
beliefs, taking responsibility for learning about these differences and
recognizing the multiple identities that are inherent in understanding
people and their contexts.
839
840
841
842
 assess the cultural context for clients and client groups, encouraging open
discussion of difference while maintaining a stance of curiosity and
openness to learning
843
844
 respond skillfully to cultural bias
845
846
847
848
 practice interview techniques that appreciate the role of diverse languages
and meanings (with attention to verbal and non-verbal communication) in
the client’s culture.
849
850
 demonstrate sensitivity to the challenges in the use of interpreters
851
852
853
854
 conduct culturally effective assessments and culturally appropriate
intervention plans, involving and empowering clients by respecting their
opinions and service goals.
855
856
857
858
 select and develop appropriate methods, skills, and techniques that are
attuned to their clients’ cultural, bicultural, or marginal experiences in their
environments
859
860
861
862
 recognize the verbal and nonverbal communication skills of diverse clients
and groups and respond in culturally empathic ways.
863
864
865
866
867
868
 understand the interaction of the cultural systems of the social worker, the
client, the particular agency setting, and the broader immediate
community.
 effectively use the clients’ natural support system in resolving problems—
for example, folk healers, storefronts, religious and spiritual leaders,
families of creation, and other community resources.
869
870
871
872
 demonstrate advocacy and empowerment skills in work with clients,
recognizing and combating the “isms”, stereotypes, and myths held by
individuals and institutions.
873
874
875
 identify service delivery systems or models that are appropriate to the
client population of focus and make appropriate referrals when indicated.
876
877
878
879
 consult with supervisors and colleagues for feedback and monitoring of
performance and identify features of their own professional skills that
impede or enhance their culturally competent practice.
880
881
882
 evaluate the validity and applicability of new techniques, research, and
knowledge for work with diverse client groups.
883
884
885
Indicators
Culturally competent social workers will:
886
887
888
1. interact with persons from a wide range of cultures, religions and spiritual
belief systems and take responsibility for learning what they do not know.
889
890
891
2. display proficiency and comfort in discussing cultural difference with
colleagues and clients.
892
893
894
895
3. demonstrate skill in conducting a comprehensive assessment of clients in
which culturally normative behavior is differentiated from problem or
symptomatic behavior.
896
897
898
899
4. assess cultural strengths and limitations/ challenges and their impact on
individual and group functioning, and integrate this understanding into
intervention plans.
900
901
902
903
904
5. select and develop appropriate methods, skills, and techniques that are
attuned to their clients’ cultural, multicultural, or marginal experiences in their
environments.
6. adapt and use recognized culturally proficient models.
905
906
907
908
7. communicate effectively with culturally and linguistically different clients
through language acquisition, proper use of interpreters, verbal and nonverbal
skills, and culturally appropriate protocols.
909
910
911
912
8. advocate for the use of interpreters who are both linguistically and culturally
competent and prepared to work in the social services environment and work
effectively with interpreters.
913
914
9. engage with clients and client groups that are diverse with cultural humility.
915
916
917
918
10.effectively engage clients’ natural support systems in resolving problems, for
example, folk healers, indigenous remedies, religious leaders, friends, family,
and other community residents and organizations.
919
920
11.employ empowerment skills in their work with clients.
921
922
923
924
12.identify features of their own professional style that impede or enhance their
culturally effective practice and consult with supervisors and colleagues for
feedback and monitoring of performance and blind spots.
925
926
13. Convey empathy, curiosity and a willingness to learn.
927
928
Standard 5. Service Delivery
929
Social workers shall be knowledgeable about and skillful in the use of
930
services, resources, institutions and individuals available to serve diverse
931
cultures within communities and be able to make appropriate referrals
932
within formal and informal networks for diverse client groups.. They should
933
also be cognizant of and work to address the absence of services for client
934
groups.
935
936
937
Interpretation
938
Agencies and professional social work organizations need to support the
939
evaluation of culturally competent service delivery models and setting
940
standards for cultural competence within these settings. Culturally competent
941
social workers need to be vigilant about the dynamics that result from
942
cultural differences and similarities between workers and clients. This
943
includes monitoring cultural competence among social workers (agency
944
evaluations, supervision, in-service training, and feedback from clients.)
945
946
Social workers need to detect and prevent exclusion of diverse clients
947
from service opportunities and seek to create opportunities for clients,
948
matching their needs with culturally competent service delivery systems or
949
adapting services to better meet the culturally unique needs of clients.
950
Furthermore, they need to foster policies and procedures that help ensure
951
access to care that accommodates varying cultural beliefs.
952
953
Direct practitioners, policymakers, and administrators, should
954
 recruit and retain multicultural staff and include cultural
955
competence and cultural humility as requirements in job
956
descriptions and performance and promotion measures.
957
958
 review the current and emergent demographic trends for the
959
geographic area served by the agency to determine service needs and
960
requirements for interpreter services.
961
962
 create service delivery systems or models that are more appropriate
963
to particular diverse clients or client populations or advocate for
964
the creation of such services.
965
966
 include clients as major stakeholders in the development of service
delivery systems.
967
968
969
 ensure that program decor and design is reflective of the cultural
heritage of clients and families using the service.
970
971
972
 attend to social issues (for example, housing, education, police, and
social justice) that concern clients of diverse backgrounds.
973
974
975
 serve as bystanders who actively confront staff remarks that
insult or demean clients and their culture.
976
977
 support the inclusion of cultural competence standards in
978
accreditation, organizational policies, and licensing and certification
979
examinations.
980
981
 develop staffing plans that reflect target populations served and
982
those populations the agency wishes to serve (for example, hiring,
983
position descriptions, performance evaluations, training).
984
985
986
 develop performance measures to assess culturally competent
practice.
987
988
989
 engage client groups in the development of research and treatment
protocols.
990
991
992
Indicators
993
Culturally competent social workers will
994
995
1. identify the formal and informal resources in the community, describe
996
their strengths and weaknesses, and facilitate referrals as indicated,
997
tailored to the culturally relevant needs of clients and client groups.
998
999
2. advocate for and cooperate with efforts to create culturally competent
1000
services and programs by:
1001
 recruit multicultural staff, including cultural competence
1002
requirements in job descriptions and measures of performance
1003
and promotion.
1004
1005
 review current and emergent demographic trends for the geographic
1006
area served by the agency to determine needs for the provision of
1007
interpretation or other culturally relevant services.
1008
1009
 create service delivery systems or models that are appropriate to
1010
targeted client populations or advocate for the development and
1011
implementation of such services.
1012
1013
1014
 include clients as major stakeholders in the participation, decision
making, and evaluation of service delivery systems.
1015
1016
1017
1018
1019
 ensure that program relevance and design is reflects the culture
of clients and families using the service.
 attend to social issues (for example, housing, education, police, and
social justice) that concern clients of diverse backgrounds.
1020
1021
1022
 Effective strategies for confronting staff remarks that insult or
demean clients and their culture.
1023
1024
 support the inclusion of cultural competence standards in
1025
accreditation bodies and organizational policies as well as in
1026
licensing and certification examinations.
1027
1028
 develop staffing plans that reflect the targeted client population
1029
(for example, hiring, position descriptions, performance
1030
evaluations, training).
1031
1032
1033
1034
 develop performance measures to assess culturally competent
practice.
1035
1036
 supporting participation of client groups in the development of
research, treatment, and intervention protocols.
1037
1038
1039
3. build organizations that are culturally competent through the following
policies and practices:
1040
 create an administrative mission and purpose that embodies cultural
1041
competence and cultural humility in the values, goals, and practices.
1042
1043
 effective recruitment of multilingual and multicultural staff.
1044
1045
 staff composition reflecting the diversity of the client population.
1046
1047
 service planning strategy that includes an assessment/analysis of the
1048
client demographics compared to the demographic trends of the
1049
service community.
1050
1051
1052
 expanded service capacity to improve the breadth and depth of
services to a greater variety of cultural groups.
1053
1054
 meaningful inclusion of clients and community members representing
1055
relevant cultural groups in decision-making and advisory governance
1056
entities, program planning, program evaluation, and research
1057
endeavors.
1058
1059
1060
 physical plant designed and decorated in a manner that is
welcoming to the diverse cultural groups served.
1061
1062
1063
 engagement in advocacy to improve social issues relevant to client
group.
1064
1065
1066
 a work climate that addresses workforce diversity challenges and
promotes respect for clients and colleagues of different backgrounds.
1067
1068
 advocate for culturally competent policies and procedures from
1069
accrediting, licensing, and certification bodies, and contracting
1070
agencies.
1071
1072
 include cultural competence and cultural humility in job descriptions,
performance evaluations, promotions, and training.
1073
1074
Standard 6. Empowerment and Advocacy
1075
Social workers shall be aware of the impact of social systems, policies, practices
and programs on diverse client populations, advocating for, with and on behalf of
diverse clients and client populations whenever appropriate. Social workers
should also participate in the development and implementation of policies and
practices that empower and advocate for diverse, marginalized and oppressed
populations.
1076
1077
1078
1079
1080
1081
1082
1083
1084
1085
1086
1087
1088
1089
1090
1091
Interpretation
Social workers with cultural competence in practice and policy settings should be
aware of and take action to confront and change the deleterious effects of racism,
sexism, ageism, ableism, heterosexism or homophobia, religious bias,
ethnocentrism, classism, and xenophobia on clients’ lives. Social advocacy and
social action should be directed at empowering diverse clients and strengthening
communities. Social workers should be a voice for anti-isms and social justice
with colleagues and clients who express biases and stereotypes regarding persons
or diverse cultural groups.
1092
1093
1094
1095
1096
1097
1098
1099
1100
1101
1102
1103
1104
1105
1106
1107
1108
1109
1110
1111
1112
1113
1114
Empowerment has been defined as an intervention, a skill and a process. Hegar
and Hunseker (1988) and McDermott (1989) describe empowerment as an
effective intervention with oppressed populations. Pinderhughes (1983) defined
empowerment as an individual feeling of increased power and the capacity to
influence forces that impact one. Empowerment refers to the person’s ability to
do for themselves while advocacy implies doing for the client. Even in the act of
advocacy, social workers must be careful not to impose their values on clients and
must seek to understand what clients mean by advocacy. Respectful collaboration
needs to take place to promote mutually agreed-on goals for change.
Social workers need commitment and skill to advocate for and with clients against
conscious and unconscious devaluation of cultural experiences related to
difference, oppression, power and privilege in the United States. The
empowerment tradition in social work practice suggests a promotion of the
combined goals of consciousness raising, education, self-awareness and the
development of a sense of personal power and skills while working toward social
change. Best practice views this as a process and outcome of the empowerment
perspective (Gutiérrez, 1990; Simon, 1994). Social workers using this standard will
apply an ecosystems perspective and a strengths orientation in practice and
policy development. This means that workers consider client situations as they
describe needs in terms of transitory challenges rather than fixed problems.
According to Gutiérrez and Lewis (1999), empowerment is a model for practice, a
perspective and a set of skills and techniques. The expectation is that culturally
competent social workers reflect these values in their practice.
1115
1116
Indicators
1117
1118
Culturally competent social workers will:
1119
1120
1121
1. Advocate for public policies that respect the strengths, cultural values, norms,
and behaviors of diverse cultures, groups and communities.
1122
1123
2. Advocate for policies that address social injustice, institutionalized “isms.”
1124
1125
1126
1127
1128
3. Select appropriate strategies to intervene with colleagues, collaborating
partners, and institutional representatives, helping them examine their levels
of awareness and the behavioral consequences of the “isms,” such as
exclusionary behaviors, or oppressive policies by:
1129
1130
1131
 assessing level of readiness for feedback and intervention of the
dominant group member.
1132
1133
1134
 adopt strategies including developing allies, education, dialogue,
increased intergroup contact, social advocacy, or social action.
1135
1136
1137
 participate in social advocacy and social action to better empower
diverse clients and communities at the local, state, and/or national level.
1138
1139
1140
4. Employ practice approaches that help the client facilitate a connection with
their own power in a manner that is appropriate for their cultural context.
1141
1142
1143
5. Provide support to diverse cultural, religious and spiritual groups who are
advocating on their own behalf.
1144
1145
6. Partner, collaborate, and ally with client groups in advocacy efforts.
1146
1147
1148
7. Work to increase the client group’s skills and sense of self-efficacy as social
change agents.
1149
1150
1151
8. Demonstrate intentional effort to assure that one does not impose one’s own
personal values in practice.
1152
1153
9. Appreciate and respect client rights to self-determination.
1154
1155
Standard 7. Diverse Workforce
1156
Social workers shall support and advocate for recruitment, admissions and hiring,
and retention efforts in social work programs and agencies that ensure diversity
within the profession.
1157
1158
1159
1160
1161
Interpretation
1162
Increasing cultural competence within the profession requires demonstrated
efforts to recruit and retain a diverse cadre of social workers, many of whom
would bring some “indigenous” cultural competence to the profession as well as
1163
1164
1165
1166
1167
demonstrated efforts to increase avenues for the acquisition of culturally
competent skills by all social workers. Diversity should be represented at all levels
of the organization, and not just among direct practitioners.
1168
1169
1170
1171
1172
1173
1174
1175
1176
1177
1178
1179
1180
1181
1182
The social work profession has espoused a commitment to diversity, inclusion,
and affirmative action. However, available statistics indicate that in the United
States social workers are predominantly white and female (86.0 percent), 8
percent are African American, 3 percent are Latinas and 3 percent identify as
other. (NASW, Center for Workforce Studies [CFWS], 2006a) Whereas, male social
workers are: 85 percent are white, 8 percent are Africa American, 5 percent are
Latino, and 2 percent identify as other. (NASW, CFSW, 2006b)
The proportion of people of color has increased in the social work membership
of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) over a period of several
years: 8.5 percent identify themselves as African American; Hispanics, including
Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and other Hispanic groups constitute about
4.5 percent of the membership; Asians and Pacific Islanders 1.9 percent; and
American Indians/First Nations People 0.5 percent (NASW Membership Data
Retrieved, (3/16/2015 ).
1183
1184
1185
1186
1187
1188
1189
1190
Major demographic shifts in the US population “will affect the social work
workforce, their clients, agencies, organizations, communities and service
delivery systems.”(NASW, CFSW, 2011). Social work client populations are more
diverse than the social work profession itself. In many instances, service to
clients is targeted to marginalized communities and special populations, groups
that typically include disproportionately high numbers of people of color, elderly
people, people with disabilities, and clients of lower socioeconomic status.
1191
1192
1193
1194
1195
1196
1197
1198
1199
1200
1201
The discrepancy between the social work labor force racial and ethnic makeup
and the changing demographics of the populations they serve, guided the
profession to respond to need for social workers to increase cultural and ethnic
competence (Gilberman, 2005; Whitaker, Weismiller Clark & Wilson, 2006). To
meet this identified need for increase diversity in the workforce, the federal
government has taken steps through the funding of education and training
programs for minority health and mental health workers, including social workers.
(United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and
Services Administration [HRSA], 2015).
1202
1203
1204
1205
1206
1207
1208
1209
1210
1211
1212
1213
1214
1215
1216
Aligning workforce demographics to client populations can be an effective
strategy for bridging cultural differences between social worker and client,
although it cannot be the only strategy. The assumption is that individuals of
similar backgrounds can understand each other better and communicate more
effectively (Jackson & López, 1999). Yet, an equally compelling fact is that “the
majority of clinicians from the mainstream dominant culture will routinely
provide care for large numbers of patients of diverse ethnic and/or cultural
backgrounds. Clearly increasing the numbers of culturally diverse social workers
is not sufficient. Even these professionals will need to be able to provide care for
patients who are not like themselves” (Jackson & López, 1999, p. 4). In addition,
culturally competent social workers who bring a special skill or knowledge to the
profession, like bicultural and bilingual skills, or American Sign Language (ASL)
skills, are entitled to professional equity and should not be exploited for their
expertise but should be appropriately compensated for skills that enhance the
delivery of services to clients.
1217
1218
Indicators
1219
Culturally competent social workers will
1220
1. advocate for and support human resource policies and procedures that
ensure diversity and inclusion within their organization.
1221
1222
1223
1224
1225
2. work to achieve a diverse workforce and organization that reflects the
demographics of the population served and population it could serve
throughout all levels of the organization.
1226
1227
1228
1229
1230
3. advocate for and support policies that assure equity, and appropriate
compensations and for social workers who bring special skills or knowledge to
the profession, such as bicultural and bilingual skills or American Sign
Language skills.
1231
1232
1233
1234
1235
4. advocate for and support recruitment and retention and promotion
strategies that increase the diversity within the profession through social
work programs and schools of social work.
1236
1237
1238
5. promote and maintain the expectation that all staff, regardless of cultural
membership, continuously engage in the process of improving cultural
proficiency and capacity to serve a variety of populations.
1239
1240
Culturally competent organizations will
1241
1. develop and implement human resource and other organizational policies,
procedures, and practices that support staff diversity at all levels of the
organization.
1242
1243
1244
1245
1246
2. develop and implement policies, procedures, and practices that effectively
address the dynamics of a diverse workforce.
1247
1248
1249
1250
3. regularly monitor the extent to which their management and staff
composition reflect the diversity of the client population and the community
at large.
1251
1252
1253
1254
1255
4. take corrective action as appropriate and refocus recruitment efforts; review
their selection and hiring policies for inclusion and/or inadvertent exclusion
of the underrepresented, underserved, and oppressed cultural groups and
the community at large.
1256
1257
1258
1259
1260
1261
1262
5. regularly monitor and take remedial action as needed to ensure that diverse
client groups may receive services and be able to communicate in their native
or preferred language by
 actively recruiting and seeking to retain multilingual staff who
are qualified to perform their work tasks in the indicated
language(s).
1263
1264
1265
 providing “second language” and certification courses and
testing to existing staff.
1266
1267
1268
1269
1270
 providing appropriate compensations for social workers who bring
special language skill or knowledge to the profession, such as
bicultural and bilingual skills or American Sign Language skills.
1271
1272
1273
6. include cultural competency, as a requirement for job performance, by
including these requirements in job descriptions, performance evaluations,
promotions, and training.
1274
1275
1276
1277
7. foster a work climate, through formal and informal means, that addresses
workforce diversity challenges and promotes respect for individuals, groups,
communities, clients and colleagues of different backgrounds.
1278
1279
1280
1281
1282
1283
1284
8. establish cultural norms of:
 openness and respect for discussion of situations in which
insensitive or exclusionary behaviors were experienced and/or
1285
1286
1287
 intolerance of bias, discrimination, marginalization within the
organization and among colleagues
1288
1289
Standard 8. Professional Education
1290
1291
1292
1293
1294
Social workers shall advocate for, develop and participate in professional
education and training that advance cultural competence within the
profession. Social workers should embrace cultural competence as a focus
of lifelong learning.
1295
1296
Interpretation
1297
Cultural competence is a vital link between the theoretical and practice
1298
knowledge base that defines social work expertise. Social work is a
1299
practice-oriented profession, and social work education and training need
1300
to remain current, while anticipating future changes in professional
1301
practice, which includes the changing needs of diverse client populations.
1302
Diversity and cultural competence needs to be addressed in social work
1303
curricula and practice behaviors to be viewed as relevant to faculty and
1304
staff appointments and research agendas.
1305
1306
The social work profession should be encouraged to take steps to ensure
1307
cultural competence is a core component of social work education, training
1308
and practice, and to engage in research and scholarship that focus on
1309
culturally competent practice among social work professionals. This
1310
includes undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs in social work as
1311
well as post-master’s training, continuing education, and meetings of the
1312
profession. Social agencies should be encouraged to provide culturally
1313
competent in-service training and opportunities for continuing education
1314
for agency-based workers. NASW should contribute to the ongoing
1315
education and training needs for all social workers, with particular
1316
emphasis on promoting culturally competent practice in continuing
1317
education offerings in terms of content, faculty, and auspice.
1318
1319
In addition, the NASW Code of Ethics (2008) clearly states, “Social workers
1320
who provide supervision and consultation are responsible for setting clear,
1321
appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries” (NASW, 2008, p. 14). This
1322
highlights the importance of providing culturally sensitive supervision and
1323
field instruction, as well as the pivotal role of supervisors and field
1324
instructors in promoting culturally competent practice among workers and
1325
students.
1326
1327
Educational content for professional practice and licensing should prepare
1328
social workers for culturally competent practice for the full spectrum of
1329
social work practice roles—direct practice, supervision, administration,
1330
policy and agency practice.
1331
1332
1333
Indicators
Culturally competent social workers will
1334
1335
1336
1. include cultural competence content relevant as an ongoing part of their
professional development
1337
1338
1339
1340
2. promote professional education that advances cultural competency within
the profession
3. advocate for the infusion and integration of cultural competence and
1341
cultural humility in social work curricula and research at the BSW, MSW,
1342
and PhD levels.
1343
4. promote enhancement of the knowledge base for culturally competent
1344
practice by encouraging and conducting research that develops
1345
conceptual, theoretical, and practice skills to guide practice at all levels.
1346
1347
1348
5. advocate for professional education on social justice and inclusion to work
effectively with diverse populations.
1349
1350
6. in organizational settings, educate staff in cross-cultural skills and
1351
techniques for resolving conflicts that emerge from differences in
1352
communication, customs, values, norms and behaviors between staff and
1353
the clients served.
1354
1355
Culturally competent organizations will
1356
1357
1. provide ongoing training, leadership, and support for improving cultural
1358
competency knowledge and skills to all employees, including top
1359
management, middle management, frontline supervisors, frontline staff,
1360
and administrative/custodial staff.
1361
1362
1363
2. resolve racial, ethnic, and/or cultural conflicts between staff and the
clients served and among employees within the organization itself.
1364
1365
1366
3. teach skills to conduct evaluation research to ensure effectiveness in
serving and engaging with culturally diverse client groups.
1367
1368
4. determine the demographics of their service area and assess potential
1369
service utilization gaps of culturally diverse client groups in the geographic
1370
area.
1371
1372
Standard 9. Linguistic Competence
1373
Social workers shall provide and advocate for effective communication with
culturally diverse groups, including persons of limited English proficiency, low
literacy skills, persons with disabilities, persons who are blind or have low vision,
and persons who are deaf or hard of hearing.
1374
1375
1376
1377
1378
Interpretation
1379
Social workers should accept the individual person in his or her totality and
1380
ensure access to needed services. Language is a source and an extension of
1381
personal identity and culture and therefore, is one way that individuals interact
1382
with others in their families and communities and across different cultural
1383
groups. Individuals and groups have a right to use their language in their
1384
individual and communal life.
1385
Language diversity is a resource for society, and linguistic diversity should be
1386
preserved and promoted. The essence of the social work profession is to
1387
promote social justice and eliminate discrimination and oppression based on
1388
linguistic or other diversities.
1389
1390
1391
1392
1393
1394
1395
1396
1397
1398
1399
1400
1401
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 13166 is titled
“Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency.”
The Executive Order, signed in August of 2000, “requires Federal agencies
to examine the services they provide, identify any need for services to
those with limited English proficiency (LEP), and develop and implement a
system to provide those services so LEP persons can have meaningful
access to them. It is expected that agency plans will provide for such
meaningful access consistent with, and without unduly burdening, the
fundamental mission of the agency. The Executive Order also requires that
the Federal agencies work to ensure that recipients of Federal financial
assistance provide meaningful access to their LEP applicants and
beneficiaries.” (LEP.gov, 2015)
1402
1403
Agencies and service providers that receive federal funds are, therefore, required
1404
to facilitate quality language access at no charge to the consumer. Agencies
1405
cannot discriminate or have methods of administering services that may subject
1406
individuals to discrimination. Agencies and providers of services are expected to
1407
take reasonable steps to provide services and information in appropriate
1408
languages, other than English, to ensure that people with limited English
1409
proficiency are effectively informed and can effectively participate in and benefit
1410
from its programs. Similarly, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires
1411
communication accommodation for persons with disabilities.
1412
1413
It is the responsibility of social services agencies and social workers to provide
1414
clients services in the language of their choice or to seek the assistance of trained
1415
language interpreters. Social workers need to communicate respectfully and
1416
effectively with clients from different ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds.
1417
It is advantageous if the worker speaks the language with the proficiency
1418
required for the type of interaction one is having (e.g., the language skill is
1419
different for casual conversation as compared to psychotherapy). Trained
1420
professional interpreters (e.g. certified or registered sign language interpreters)
1421
should be used. Interpreters should be treated as members of the service
1422
provision team and offered orientation and training for the type of setting and
1423
services that are being provided (e.g. medical, legal, mental health, child welfare.)
1424
1425
The orientation and training would include guidelines regarding specialized terms
1426
and concepts, confidentiality, interpreter/client relationships, and social work
1427
profession ethical considerations that may reinforce their own professional
1428
ethics.
1429
1430
Written communication should be provided in the language and at the literacy
1431
level appropriate for the intended audience. Priority should be given to legal
1432
documents (e.g. consent for treatment), informational and educational materials,
1433
and public awareness campaigns. Materials should be created in the appropriate
1434
language or translated by persons with the knowledge and skills relevant to the
1435
organizational context, understanding of the dialects within a language (e.g.,
1436
multiple dialects of Spanish based on national origin and region), and literacy
1437
level. Literacy level in English is a factor that should be accounted for in the
1438
development of any correspondence or written materials.
1439
1440
Adapted from Goode, T. & Jones, W. (2009). Linguistic Competence Definition, Revised. Accessed at
http://nccc.georgetown.edu
1441
1442
Indicators
1443
Culturally competent social workers will
1444
1445
1. demonstrate an understanding that language is part of the social
identity of a person
1446
1447
1448
2. advocate for rights of individuals and groups to receive resources in
their preferred language.
1449
1450
1451
3. provide and advocate for written and oral information, referrals, and
services in person’s s preferred language
1452
1453
4. provide jargon-free, easy-to-read material.
1454
1455
5. use descriptive and graphic representations (for example, pictures,
1456
symbol formats) for individuals with limited English proficiency or with
1457
limited literacy.
1458
1459
1460
6. advocate for the preservation and appreciation of language diversity
among clients.
1461
1462
7. provide and advocate for reasonable accommodations of persons’
1463
language needs, including sign language interpreters, assistive devices,
1464
alternate communication strategies
1465
1466
8. improve their own ability to speak, read, write and understand the
1467
languages and dialects of their clients without attempting in engage in
1468
dialogue that is beyond their own skill level.
1469
1470
9. check to ensure accurate communication, realizing that there can be
1471
significant variations of word usage and colloquialisms within the same
1472
language family based on nationality or region.
1473
1474
10. prepare themselves to work effectively with trained interpreters and
1475
translators (for example, attend workshops, seek consultation from
1476
interpretation services, become familiar with standards for professional
1477
interpretation and translation become familiar with techniques of
1478
translation, develop or advocate for appropriate agency policies to
1479
support the effective use of and standards for professional interpretation
1480
and translation, and a to support the effective use of, orientation, and
1481
training for interpreters and translators.
1482
1483
Standard 10. Leadership to Advance Cultural Competence
1484
Social workers shall be change agents who demonstrate the leadership skills to
work effectively with diverse groups in agencies, organizational settings and
communities. Social workers should also demonstrate responsibility for
advancing cultural competence within and beyond our organizations, helping to
build and sustain diverse and inclusive institutions and communities.
1485
1486
1487
1488
1489
1490
1491
1492
1493
1494
1495
Interpretation
Leadership has been described as an “activity that mobilizes the resources of
people or an organization to make progress on difficult problems” (Heifetz, 1994).
Social workers should demonstrate responsibility to advance policies and
practices related to cultural competence, with and without formal authority.
Social workers should aspire to leadership in the service of helping organizations
become diverse and inclusive.
1496
1497
1498
1499
Social workers shall demonstrate the skill to facilitate difficult conversations that
lead to understanding, growth and organizational strength. They should be able
to recognize, within themselves, the ways in which our own positions of power
1500
1501
1502
1503
1504
1505
1506
1507
1508
1509
1510
1511
1512
1513
1514
1515
and privilege advance or impede progress relative to cultural competence in our
own organizations. In areas such as recruitment, hiring, promotion, teambuilding
and conflict management, social workers should be vigilant about colluding with
forces that often reinforce the problematic status quo.
Social workers should lead by example, demonstrating leadership, self-reflection
and advocacy within their own organizations, promoting culturally competent
practice at all levels of the organization. Rank and Hutchison (2000) identified,
through a survey of social workers, that diversity skills, e.g. sensitivity to diversity,
multicultural leadership, acceptance and tolerance, cultural competence, and
tolerance of ambiguity, as core skills for successful social work leadership.
Advocating for increasing knowledge development about culturally competent
practice with diverse client groups is paramount to social work leadership as is
being a voice and agent of change for injustices in our immediate sphere of
influence with colleagues and peers. Our responsibility is to advance cultural
competence with our clients and within our organizations, profession and broader
communities.
1516
1517
1518
1519
1520
Social work leaders will understand cultural humility and the dynamics of
privilege, power and social justice as manifested in our own places of work; taking
responsibility to educate others and, ultimately, advance social change within our
systems, organizations, and society.
1521
1522
1523
Indicators
Culturally competent social work leaders will
1524
1525
1526
1. advance and promote culturally competent practice with clients and within
organizations, the social work profession, and broader communities.
1527
1528
2. create effective diverse work teams.
1529
1530
1531
1532
3. incorporate and disseminate information on cultural competence and cultural
humility in professional activities e.g. committee work, scholarship, research
and in other appropriate arenas.
1533
1534
1535
1536
4. work in partnership with diverse clients and communities to strengthening
these communities, encouraging the use of power and facilitating
client/community empowerment.
1537
1538
1539
5. advocate for fair and equitable treatment of clients, colleagues and diverse
cultural groups within and beyond the profession.
1540
1541
1542
6. serve in roles where they can make a difference in advancing diversity,
inclusion and cultural competence.
1543
1544
1545
7. develop the skill and confidence to engage in and facilitate difficult
conversations about matters of difference.
1546
1547
1548
8. recognize and respect the strengths and differences in professional and
personal relationships with others who are different from us.
1549
1550
9. address resistance to the adoption of culturally competent practice.
1551
1552
1553
10. engage colleagues in the identification and implementation of strategies that
strengthen and sustain diverse and inclusive multicultural organizations.
1554
1555
1556
1557
1558
1559
1560
11. mobilize colleagues, clients and organizations to address injustice, bias, and
isms on all levels.
1561
References
1562
1563
1564
Barker, R.L.(2014). The Social Work Dictionary 6th edition. Washington, DC:NASW
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1565
1566
1567
Bartlett, H. M.(1970). The common base of social work practice. New York:
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1568
1569
1570
1571
Colby, Sandra L. and Jennifer M. Ortman, Projections of the Size and Composition
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1573
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1575
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black
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Cross, T., Bazron, B., Dennis, K., & Isaacs, M., (1989). Towards A Culturally
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Davis, P., & Donald, B. (1997). Multicultural counseling competencies: Assessment,
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1583
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Fong, R. (Ed.). (2004). Culturally competent practice with immigrant and refugee
1586
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Gallegos, J. S. (1982). The ethnic competence model for social work education. In
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1610
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Hegar, R.L. & Hunzeker, J.M. (1988). Moving toward
1612
empowerment‐based practice in public child welfare. Social Work 33(6): 499‐502.
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Heifetz, R. A. (1994). Leadership without easy answers. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
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1617
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1633
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Limited English Proficiency (LEP)
1635
(2015). Executive order 13166 Retrieved on 4/12/2015
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1640
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1642
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1645
McDermott, C.J. (1989). Empowering elderly nursing home residents: The
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1649
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1650
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