Applied social studies, Cultural diversity
This essay will focus on the topic of cultural diversity. It will discuss the key themes surrounding the client group, ethnic minorities and it will discuss the difficulties they face in society. It will then talk about the diverse needs of unaccompanied minors and what approaches/interventions are used by a social care worker. It will identify the skills, values, approaches required to work in this area for a social care worker. It will highlight the importance of the role of a social care worker in tackling the key issues surrounding this topic. The key issues surrounding this topic are social exclusion, discrimination, oppression, racism and language barriers. The nature of social care has changed
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It can be defined in many aspects, culture is said to shape us as human beings; it shapes our identity, influences and how we behave in society. More definitely, it refers to the shared language, beliefs, values, norms and behaviours (Belfield, 2010). The current statistics in Ireland have proven that there are more ethnic minorities in the country than previous years. As of 2016 it is recorded that 11.6% of the population in Ireland are immigrants (CSO, 2016). The word immigrant is a term used to describe individuals or groups who come from another country and are granted legal permission to live in a host country (Intercultural, 2018). Due to the increase of immigrants in Ireland, the role of a social care practitioner has become of more importance in addressing the problems this group may face. Those who come to a country with a different culture can also be categorised as a minority group which can be defined as subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their lives than members of a dominant or majority group. This can cause many issues for them such as …show more content…
In other words, it’s important to set aside personal values when it comes to working with ethnic minorities. A social care worker should show some levels of self-awareness. It is important to develop self-awareness when working as a social care practitioner especially if assigned to work with ethnic minorities (Carpenter, 2016). The understanding of their own personal, cultural values and beliefs is one way of appreciating the importance of multicultural identities in the lives of people. There is a standard of a set of skills required to work in this area, knowledge-based skills surrounding this topic is essential. A social care worker may need to develop specialized knowledge and understanding about the history, traditions, values, family systems, and artistic expressions of major client groups that they serve (Naswil,2010). Also, it is essential for them to acquire cross-cultural skills. Social workers should be informed of the legislations, social policies and the effect of social policies and programs on diverse client populations, advocating for and with clients whenever appropriate. Social care workers should have a good understanding of language diversity and seek to provide or advocate