Читать книгу Social Work Research Methods - Reginald O. York - Страница 120

Cultural competence refers to your ability to take culture into consideration in your practice. This requires sufficient knowledge of culture to engage in practice that is well informed. It also requires sufficient self-awareness to avoid the interference of your own life experiences with regard to culture. Being aware of the similarities and differences between your culture and that of others is a critical part of this self-awareness.

Culture has a major influence on all aspects of social work practice. The National Association of Social Workers has articulated 10 standards related to cultural competence among social workers. These are as follows: (1) ethics and values, (2) self-awareness, (3) cross-cultural knowledge, (4) cross-cultural skills, (5) service delivery, (6) empowerment and advocacy, (7) diverse workforce, (8) professional education, (9) language and communication, and (10) leadership. There are suggestions within each of these 10 categories. For example, embracing culture as essential to effective practice is one of the values enumerated for the first item of this list. The standard about self-awareness suggests that social workers must demonstrate an appreciation of their own cultures as well as the cultures of others. In addition, social workers must develop both knowledge and skills related to cultural competence.