Why Is Cultural Competence Essential In Social Work?

Indeed helping the needy and destitute people is one of the best yet satisfying things to do. Some people do these things infrequently to bring peace and comfort to the lives of other homeless individuals. However, there are also a few people who opt for social work as a proper profession.

These people hold a soft corner, not for the needy but also for the immigrants living in poverty and oppressed. They love to help them in every possible way and provide them all the necessities of life. No doubt, it is the field that is booming vastly and full of great people. They are emotionally and mentally strong enough to challenge society and shape the world into a better place to live for every individual.

No doubt, social work is all about fighting for human rights and performing your best to aid the helpless in the crucial hours. No wonder it is often difficult to do everything on your own. Sometimes you need a force or a team to bring a positive change in society. Hence, for this purpose, working as a social worker is the correct decision to make. It is all about making a difference in peoples’ lives and seeks justice for the vulnerable.

In other words, social work is all about working selflessly for people irrespective of gender, class, racism, and cultural difference. But for this, the social workers need to understand the different cultures and approach their clients with sensitivity and cultural respect. That is why these days the cultural competence in social work is a vital skill to learn. By doing so, you will play a significant role in helping people to overcome the obstacles and come forward to speak for their rights and avail their granted services.

What Is Cultural Competence?

Before discussing the importance of cultural competence in social work, we first understand the meaning of this term. It is a broad term and has a great value in the lives of social workers. Gone are the days when social workers work on the same old pattern. Now is the time to thrive and do something beyond your comfort zone. If you want to empower your client in the community, it is necessary to build some other skills. But all these things require something more than the social work theory. These social workers need to develop cultural competence skills to practice social work in this age.

However, if we look at the definition of this word, it states the following thing. “In modern times, social workers must build some skills and intelligence to meet the clients’ requirements belonging to the various cultures.” So, suppose they want to work efficiently with people from different cultures and groups. In that case, cultural competence is the mandatory thing to adopt these days, as described above.

Only in this way, a social worker can promote and give respect to diversified clients and cultures. Suppose you plan to make your career in this field or already serve in this profession. In that case, you must know the importance of cultural competence. So, brace yourselves as we are going to state all the possible reasons here. Without stretching it more, let’s discuss it in detail.

Cultural Competence Importance In Social Work:

As stated above, learning about the variant religions, beliefs, and cultures is essential these days. But if you are serving society as a social worker. It is one of the mandatory skills to learn that is sometimes also known as cultural competence. There are a few reasons due to which having a grip on cultural competence is essential.

To Help Oppressed In Attaining Health Services:

Indeed the United States is one of the largest states, entertaining millions of people from different races and religions. Among them, there are a few immigrants as well who face many challenges. On the other hand, when it comes to avail the services given to them, language barrier and limited English are the main issues. They fail to understand the health care system and its policies and ultimately lands into trouble.

By incorporating cultural competence, a social worker will have power over other languages and make a healthy and happy community. But that cannot be possible unless you are willing to learn more. According to the research, cultural difference is one of the prime reasons for poor health among immigrants. 

To Work On Individual’s Emotional Wellbeing:

Undoubtedly, social and mental issues are one of the leading problems these days. Much time, people do not pay attention to these alerts and ultimately land into a problem. However, sometimes, we all need an ear to listen to all our problems and make us feel reasonable. But being a social worker, this process becomes little difficult many times. And when you do not understand the clients’ cultures, community, and other related issues, it becomes more problematic for both parties. It would not be wrong to say that you need to be empathetic first if you want to help someone.

By having a solid background in other cultures, you can help people in so many ways. One can provide them emotional and physical support, sometimes financial as well. On the other side, one can also help them with their family separation issues, employee exploitation, and several other concerns.

To Understand The Need Of Helpless:

Many times, people do not know how to express and tell what they need. That is all because of the cultural barrier. These kinds of people are already demoralized, dehumanized, and marginalized. They do not have the courage and audacity to speak for their rights. Meanwhile, when they dare to take a stand, many hurdles come their way.

Here comes the importance of cultural competence when these social workers come to their rescue and become their voice. They identify and assist their requirements and choose what is best for them after understanding their demands and needs.

To Normalize Cultural Difference:

Racism and cultural differences have already caused this world much damage. Numerous people remain deprived of their rights and needs due to variant languages, ethnicities, and caste. Now is the time to change the world from every aspect.

It is possible to normalize the cultural differences after incorporating cultural competence in the social work practice. Hence, if you are a social worker, start adopting this essential skill to turn the world into a place where every individual is equal and has all the rights and freedom.

Conclusion:

Everyone knows the fact that things take time. Nothing has ever happened in a day or two. But if we are willing and determined to achieve something, no one can stop us from doing so. Similarly, it is time to say goodbye to old traditional social work practice and broaden your visions. Start adapting cultural competence in social work to help the oppressed and enslaved people from all communities.