Question

Given the readings and the nature of this class, we will be exploring potentially sensitive subjects. As part of your social work education, you will need to gain a self awareness around issues of culture, race, and identity in order to be an effective social worker. We need to figure out, as a class, how to produce a safe environment to navigate these topics.

Reflect on what you need in order to be as authentic as possible in your interactions in this course. Then, respond to the prompts below.

• To ensure this safe environment, what do you need from your classmates? Yourself? Your instructor?
• What may be a few challenges that you anticipate in creating this safe environment?

Answer 1

The type of safe environment which should be created to become a social worker with awareness of the issues of culture, race, ethnicity and identity of a social worker are as follows:

• respect and proper understanding of the situation present.
• creativity in understanding, interpretation and analysis while dealing with different types of problem in the society.
• participation,communication and interaction among people belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds and traditions.
• Increase in the amount of trust and liability among different colleagues working together for the welfare of the company.
• avoidance of social discrimination and humiliation among people belonging to different caste, religion and culture in the society,
• acceptance of people belonging to different race with equality and equal opportunity status.

There should be willingness to create a culturally competent social environment for working in a proper environment like as follows:

• recognition and understanding of the diversity of different cultures.
• people belonging to different cultures have different traditions and religious beliefs.
• effect of the environment and previous situations which were encountered by a person.
• leadership in the area of cultural awareness among people living in the society.
• removal of bias and prejudice in the society.
• analysis of the cultural competence of the work place as well interpretation of the potential of the employee working in the organization.

The challenges which prove out to be hindrances for creating a safe work environment include the racial bias, discrimination, humiliation, lack of communication and lack of coordination among colleagues which are working in the same organization. The other factors include the lack of self-esteem, lack of self-dignity and lack of appreciation among the employees working as social workers in an organization. There should be inner conscientious feeling in the social workers to work for the emancipation and upliftment of the country with understanding and analysis of the crucial stigmatic situations present in the society. Social workers should have a proper knowledge and understanding of the prevailing problems in society with capability of volunteering themselves in critical situations prevalent in the society. There is National Association of Social Workers and code of ethics implemented in 2000 for assessment of the awareness for the social workers to work and volunteer themselves with acknowledgement in the society. There should be discrimination among the White social workers while working for the development of the country and organization as explained from the work of Whitaker in 2006.