Child Welfare Practice in a Multicultural Environment

A Core Class for New Child Welfare Workers

OBJECTIVES

• Facilitate self-reflection and openness to cultural differences on the part of child welfare workers and to assist the worker in applying this material to work with individuals and families in child welfare.

This workshop is intended to...

GROUP AGREEMENTS

• What do you need in order to feel free to openly share with one another today?

ICEBREAKER

• Partner with someone else. Preferably, someone you don't yet know all that well.

• In three minutes, identify as many things as possible that you have in common (may not include work-related items).

• Be prepared to share those items with the group.

DEFINITIONS

• Race

• Ethnicity

• Culture

• Cultural Diversity

• Cultural Awareness

• Cultural Competence

Continuum of Cultural Competence

Cultural Destructiveness

CulturalIncapacity

Cultural Blindness

CulturalPre-Competence

CulturalCompetence

CulturalProficiency

Slide Source: National Center for Cultural Competence, 2007

(Cross, Bazron, Dennis and Isaacs, 1989)

WHY IS CULTURAL COMPETENCE IMPORTANT?

Latino 19%

Asian & Pacific Islander 22%

Other 1%

Native American 2%

White 41%

African American 15%

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CULTURE

• Category One: Cultural Compatibility

• Category Two: Universalism

NASW Code of Ethics• ... promote conditions that encourage

respect for cultural and social diversity within the U.S. and globally. ... promote policies and practices that demonstrate respect for differences, support the expansion of cultural competence, and promote policies that safeguard the rights of and confirm equity and social justice for all people.

NASW Code of Ethics:

• …should act to prevent and eliminate domination of, exploitation of, and discrimination against any person, group, or class on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, political belief, religion, or mental disability.

The Historical Context in Which the System Arose

• The Pilgrims - the way they related to the native population became the template.

• Assimilation - trying to become as close to the dominant culture as possible.

• Acculturation - trying to embrace the culture of origin, while participating in the dominant culture.

The System that Arose

• Inequity.

• Discrimination.

• Overrepresentation.

The Impact of the System on Certain Groups

African Americans -

• Increased inclusion of African Americans in the child welfare system after WWII.

• Racism manifested in services developed, inequitable treatment, and incomplete efforts to change the system.

The Impact of the System on Certain Groups

Native Americans -

• 1958 campaign to relocate Indian children from reservations to orphanages and white adoptive homes.

• Boarding School System.

• ICWA in 1978 - stemmed the tide.

The Impact of the System on Certain Groups

• Language and cultural barriers to access.

• Transracial placements.

• Inequity of services.

Latinos -

RACIAL DISPROPORTIONALITY

• Formula: # of x children in foster care

# of x children in the population

RACIAL DISPARITY

• Formula:# experiencing the event

# in the populationCompared to

# of y children in foster care

# of y children in the population

NATIONAL FOSTER CARE DEMOGRAPHICS

• Nationally, African-American children are about 3.5 times as likely as white children to be in state protective custody.1

1 Child Welfare League of America - National Data Analysis Systemhttp://ndas.cwla.org/research_info/specialtopic1a.asp2 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report13.htm3 U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, special tabulation. Characteristics of Children Under 18 Years by Age,Race, and Hispanic or Latino Origin, for the United States: 2000. http://www.census.gov

Entries(1) Census Numbers  

Year Ethnicity n % n % Rate per1,000

DM(2)

2006 Total 977 100.00 358,510 100.00 2.73

Black 474 48.52 51,533 14.37 9.20 3.375

White 235 24.05 81,839 22.83 2.87 1.054

Hispanic 202 20.68 111,884 31.21 1.81 0.663

Asian 57 5.83 90,494 25.24 0.63 0.231

Native American

9 0.92 2,670 0.74 3.37 1.237

ENTRIES INTO FOSTER CAREBY ETHNICITY

Needell, B., Webster, D., Armijo, M., Lee, S., Cuccaro-Alamin, S., Shaw, T., Dawson, W., Piccus, W., Magruder, J., Exel, M., Smith, J., Dunn, A., Frerer, K., Putnam Hornstein, E., Ataie, Y., Atkinson, L., & Lee, S.H. (2007). Child Welfare Services Reports for California. Retrieved [month day, year], from University of California at Berkeley Center for Social Services Research website. URL: <http://cssr.berkeley.edu/CWSCMSreports/>

THE COMMUNITY DIMENSION OF CPS

• There have been a lot of social scientists studying the effects of neighborhoods on child development.

• At the same time, social workers have adopted community-based approaches to the delivery of child welfare services.

CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT REFERRALS BY

ZIP CODE

• Needell, B., Webster, D., Armijo, M., Lee, S., Cuccaro-Alamin, S., Shaw, T., Dawson, W., Piccus, W., Magruder, J., Exel, M., Conley, A., Smith, J., Dunn, A., Frerer, K., Putnam Hornstein, E., & Kaczorowski, M.R., (2006). Child Welfare Services Reports for California. Retrieved [month day, year], from University of California at Berkeley Center for Social Services Research website. URL: <http://cssr.berkeley.edu/CWSCMSreports/>

Age-Adjusted Diabetes Hospitalization Rates

Age-Adjusted Asthma Hospitalization Rates

Parolees

Probationers

Rate of Hospitalization for Assault

Percentage of Persons Not High School Graduates

Homicide Victims and Percentage of Persons in Poverty

POWER ANALYSIS

• Identify the systems that keep the community disconnected from the right supports and services.

Chisom, R.; Dunn, J. (2007) Undoing Racism / Community Organizing Workshop. The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond.

Former Texas Judge Scott McCown (1998) called CPS…

“a leaky rescue boat, so heavily loaded with children…that it moves slowly to the scene of the next crisis and once there has little space for new passengers.”

• “Do child welfare researchers, policymakers, and practitioners believe that it is ethically acceptable to be involved in improving the efficacy of a system that takes these children without simultaneously being involved in remedying the problems that bring the children to the system?”

- Mark E. Courtney 1996

Courtney, M.E., Barth, R.P., Berrick, J., Brooks, D., Needell, B., & Park, L. (1996). Race and child welfare services: Past research and future directions. Child Welfare, 75 (2), 99-137.

A PROPOSED MODEL

RACE

ETHNICITY

CLASS

GENDER

IMMIGRATION STATUS

CORPORATIONS & OTHER BUSINESSES

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

SCHOOLS

SOCIAL & PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION

SUBSTANCE USE

VIOLENCE

NUTRITION

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

CHRONIC DISEASE

INJURY (INTENTIONAL / UNINTENTIONAL)

INFANT MORTALITY

LIFE EXPECTANCY

UP

ST

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AM

DO

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Socio-Ecological Medical Model

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Iton, Witt, Siegel, & Raya, 2007

• “Perspectives that conceive of neighborhood effects as results produced only by the ‘culture’ or ‘personality’ of a neighborhood will be incomplete, as will approaches that focus only on governance or contextual factors. All of these factors together have an effect on residents and on the social dynamics of a community…”

- Equality of Opportunity and the Importance of Place: Summary of a Workshop

Culture and Human Behavior

• Workers unaware of culture’s impact on human behavior participate in creating a system that is not fair and equitable.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/18126390#18126390

• Cultural racism …is like smog in the air. Sometimes it is so thick it is visible, other times it is less apparent, but always, day in and day out, we are breathing it in. None of us would introduce ourselves as “smog breathers” (and most of us don’t want to be described as prejudiced), but if we live in a smoggy place, how can we avoid breathing the air?

- Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D.Author of “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

3 Points About Culture:

1 Culture provides the lenses through which we see the world, process information, and communicate with others.

2 Cultures evolve mechanisms for dealing with the duality of good and bad, built upon the cultural means of dealing with difference.

3 Points About Culture:

3 Cultures evolve different responses for behaviors that are considered as deviant or antisocial.

Structural Racism

The inequality and bias based on race that is built into the economic and social structure of society, with one race having a superior position and receiving greater political, economic and social advantages than other racial groups. (CARTA, 2005)

•Institutionalized racism – differences in access to goods, services and opportunities according to race.

•Personally mediated racism – prejudice and discrimination by individuals against others based on their racial or ethnic background.

•Internalized racism – acceptance by members of a stigmatized racial/ethnic group of negative messages about their abilities and value.

Structural Racism’s Impact

Institutionalized

Political PowerHousing

EmploymentHealth Care

Access

Personally Mediated

Differential Assumptions and Actions

based on race

Internalized

Self-devaluationResignationHopelessnessSelf-deprecating behaviors

OutcomesAdapted from: Jones, C.P. (2000). Levels of racism: A theoretic framework and a gardener’s tale. American Journal of Public Health, 90, 1212-1215.

Family Factors

Structural Racism Matters for Youth Well-Being

Intimacy & Trust

Youth Behaviors

Critical Elements of Adolescent Development

Residential Segregation- School Segregation

- Occupational Segregation- Interpersonal Bias

- Negative media messages- Institutional bias

Structural Racism

Adapted from: Sugland, B., Innocent, M.A., Ross, K. et al. (2005). Disparities in Adolescent Sexual & Reproductive Health: The Case for Structural Racism. Discussion Paper. CARTA, Inc. Baltimore, MD.

Identity

Industry

Protects

Impedes

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

- James Baldwin

MESSAGES

•Respond to items 1 - 4 with brief answers. Then discuss your answers with others in your small group.

•Some messages may be explicit, while others may be implicit.

•After sharing your answers, discuss the implications of your acculturation process.

INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON THE FAMILY

How may your views of family differ from your clients’ views with respect to…

•Structure, Roles, Responsibilities?

•Setting Limits?

•Symbolism?

KNOWING WHO YOU ARE

• Overall impressions of the concepts regarding racial and ethnic identity?

• Top two or three points highlighted that you would want to address in your day-to-day practice?

• Any concerns about working with youth around these issues? If so, please describe them.

• How can you further integrate racial and ethnic identity work with youth into your day-to-day practice?

Cultural Factors that Impact Intervention and Communication• Jargon can be a barrier to understanding.

• To learn the use of another’s language is to enter into the world of the other.

• Launching into data gathering focused on the presenting problem may be seen as disrespectful.

• Words and phrases may have different meanings for different cultures.

• Looking a person in the eye can have many meanings.

• So can avoiding eye contact.

• Calling someone by his/her first name.

• Religion and/or spiritual beliefs.

BASIC ETHNOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES

• Ethnographic interviews employ descriptive and structural questions.

• The strict inclusion, rationale, and means-ends questions tend to be used the most.

• The ways that questions are asked can either facilitate or disrupt the development of rapport and an effective interview.

NINE DIMENSIONS OF SOCIAL SITUATIONS

• people involved

• places used

• individual acts

• groups of acts that combine into activities or routines

• events

• objects

• goals

• time

• feelings

SCENARIOS

• What might be the cultural issues/dynamics of this situation?

• What effect do the cultural issues/dynamics have on the client?

• How would you explore this to find out more? • What might be some ways to work with this

client so that the cultural issues are an integral part of the solutions and strategies?

• “We must be willing to ask ourselves through what lens or filter are we making our decisions? What criteria are we using to judge the actions of our youth in care that is conscious and institutionally sanctioned vs. the criteria that is less conscious and needs to be brought to the surface.”

-Deputy Commissioner Joyce Burrell

JMATE Conference March 25, 2008 Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington, DC

UNDERSTANDING PERSONAL BIAS

•What data did you observe?•What did you pay attention to and report?•How did you decide to pay attention to this data?•What did others observe and report?•What did the client observe and report?•What data is missing? (from the perspective of the client, another worker, or the supervisor).

•What are your values about what you observed?•What do you believe about these behaviors?•What are the client’s values about this situation?•What are the organization’s values about this situation?•What other values might be considered in this situation?•What are the supervisor’s values about this situation?•What do you think of these other values?

UNDERSTANDING PERSONAL BIAS

•What data did you use to draw your conclusions?•What values did you use to draw your conclusions?•How do your conclusions reflect your values?•What conclusions might the client, supervisor, or organization have about the situation?•How do you know this? What tells you this?

•What conclusions support your action?•Which of your values are reflected in your action?•What values did you use to take this action?•What actions might the client, supervisor, or organization take in this situation?•How do you know this? What tells you this?

What have you learned about how your biases/values guide the conclusions you make?

KNOWLEDGE

• Cross-Cultural Knowledge—Social workers shall have and continue to develop specialized knowledge and understanding about the history, traditions, values, family systems, and artistic expressions of major client groups served.

- NASW Standards of Cultural Competence

Applying Cultural Knowledge to Child Welfare Practice

• When providing services to clients of different cultures, workers should examine their own Attitudes, Knowledge and Skills.

DEALING WITH INTOLERANCE IN OTHERS

• Assume Good Intent and Explain Impact

• Ask a Question

• Interrupt and Redirect

• Broaden to Universal Human Behavior

• Make It Individual

• Say Ouch!

Culturally competent workers...

• Invite those who are different from themselves to be their cultural guides;

• Learn as much as they can about an individual’s or family’s culture;

• Recognize how their own background influences how they view others;

• Work within each person’s family structure;

• Recognize, accept, and when appropriate, include the help of natural helpers;

• Respect traditions where gender and age may play an important role;

• Include cultural leaders in neighborhood outreach efforts.

5 Elements of Cultural Competence

1 Awareness and acceptance of difference;

2 An awareness of one’s own cultural values;

3 Understanding the dynamics of difference;

4 Development of cultural knowledge;

5 Ability to adapt practice skills to fit the cultural context of the person’s value system

What is our role in identifying and addressing bias in the system?

• Some say that racism is a national disease and that, “getting sick was not our fault, getting well is our responsibility.”

Cultural competence is a life’s journey … not a destination

Safe travels!

T.D. GoodeSlide Source: National Center for Cultural Competence, 2006