Social Work Practice with Latinos: Key Issues for Social Workers (Report)

As Latinos become a larger proportion of the U.S. population, there is a greater need for social work education to provide culturally sensitive training to social work students (Furman, Bender, Lewis, & Shears, 2006; Iglehart & Becerra, 1995). Latinos have become the largest minority population in the United States. Estimates are that by the year 2050, nearly one-quarter of the U.S. population, or 102.6 million individuals, will be of Latino origin (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006). In a recent study, nearly 90 percent of graduate social work faculty either agreed or strongly agreed that preparing students for culturally sensitive practice with Latinos is important (Furman, 2002). Yet, in the same study, only 40 percent of the faculty believed that students were prepared for practice with this population. The discrepancy between the importance of providing services to Latinos, given their growing numbers, and the preparedness of social workers for serving this population is alarming. This is especially glaring when one considers that Latinos are at risk for various psychosocial maladies, including poverty (Prelow & Loukas, 2003), low educational attainment (Prelow & Loukas, 2003), mental health concerns (McGowan, 1988; Padilla, Ruiz, & Alvarez, 1989; Vega, & Amaro, 1998), substance abuse (Hernandez & Lucero, 1996), ill health (Fiscella, Franks, Doescher, & Saver, 2002; Grant-makers in Health, 2003), and exposure to violence (Peacock, McClure, & Agars, 2003). Consequently, the confluence of these factors (Hanson & Austin, 2003), along with racism and systemic barriers for people of color, creates limited life opportunities for some Latinos. Culturally competent social work practice with Latinos is crucial for ensuring effective access for and treatment delivery to this population. The importance of cultural competence is underscored in the NASW (1996) Code of Ethics. According to Colon (1996), culturally competent practice focuses on the need for a general sensitivity to cultural factors that may influence clients. Being sensitive to cultural variables can be conceptualized as holding a cultural lens to human behavior and making allowances for the possibility of cultural influence. However, to avoid stereotyping, it is important that the clinician recognize the existence of within-group differences as well as the influence of the client's own personal culture or values. Cultural competence is then aspirational at best (Caldwell, Iwamoto, Tarver, & Herzberg, 2006) and requires the continuous development of practitioners' cultural sensitivity, awareness, knowledge, and skills.