Read the passage below and check your comprehension by answering the following questions. Then “submit” your work.
If you ever find yourself struggling — economically, emotionally, or physically — there is someone who can help. In hospitals, schools, government agencies, and nonprofits, social workers are often the point people for individuals in need of health care, mental health services, social support, or simply assistance in navigating large bureaucratic systems such as immigration or the legal system.
Social workers first assess client needs by asking questions and listening to answers. Just about every aspect of the social worker’s responsibilities depends on skillful interviewing (Kadushin & Kadushin, 2013). A mother who does not wish to leave the hospital after delivering her baby, for example, might say that she does not feel well. But a skilled social worker will explore further to consider other factors that might be impacting the mother’s decision, such as postpartum depression, family violence, physical condition of the home, fear of parenting, lack of social support to care for the child, or economic uncertainty. Only if social workers can identify these concerns will they be able to link the mother with resources and services to ensure a healthy and safe situation for the family.
In this role, cultural competence is essential. A social worker seeking to help an undocumented immigrant who is the victim of a crime, for example, will often face language barriers that can make communication difficult. Fear of deportation may make the accused client reluctant to seek assistance. The client may worry that testifying in court will put his or her job in jeopardy; in cases of sexual assault, culturally bound gender expectations can make it difficult for some clients to speak frankly about what happened (Clarke, 2014).