Essay - Cultural Competence the World in General and the United States...

Cultural Competence

The world in general and the United States in specific are becoming increasingly global, with a demographic change that will completely alter the population makeup in within the next half of a century. Already in the U.S. it is possible to see how ***** number of Latino and Asian residents is steadily growing. Understanding different cultures has always been important for social service workers. Today, with this growing globalization, it is more essential than ever for these pr*****essionals to be culturally competent.

According to the National Association of Social Workers and *****s 10 standards, a culturally ***** ***** worker shall:

Standard 1. Ethics and Values—function in accordance with the values, ethics, ***** ***** ***** the profession, recognizing how personal and *****al values may conflict ***** or accommodate the needs of diverse clients.

St*****ard 2. Self-Awareness—*****k ***** develop an understanding ***** their own personal, cultural values and *****liefs as one way of appreciating the imp*****tance of multi***** identities in the lives of people.

Standard 3. Cross-Cultural Knowledge—have and cont*****ue to develop specialized knowledge and understanding about the history, traditions, values, family systems, and artistic expressions of major client groups that *****y serve.

***** 4. Cross-Cultural Skills—use appropriate methodological approaches, skills, and techniques that reflect the workers' underst*****ing of the role of culture in ***** help*****g process.

Standard 5. Service Delivery—be knowledgeable about and skillful in the use ***** services available ***** the community ***** broader society and be able to make ***** referrals for their diverse clients.

St*****ard 6. Empowerment and Advocacy—be aware of the effect of social policies ***** programs on diverse client *****s, advocating for and with ***** whenever appropriate.

Standard 7. Diverse Work*****ce—support and advocate for recruitment, admissions and hiring, and retention efforts in social work programs and agencies that ensure diversity *****in the pr*****ession.

Standard 8. Professional Education—advocate for and participate in educational and training programs ***** help advance cultural competence within ***** profession.

Standard 9. Language Diversity—seek to provide or advocate ***** the provision of information, referrals, and services in the language appropriate ***** the client, which may *****clude ***** of interpreters.

St*****ard *****0. Cross-Cultural Leadership—be ***** to communicate information about ***** ***** groups to other professionals.

In general, cultural ***** is the ability to work effectively with other individuals from a wide v*****riety of ethnic, cultural, political, economic, and religious backgrounds. It ***** being knowledgeable and respectful of the values, beliefs, *****, and customs of those being served, while recognizing *****re is often great diversity within the various *****, themselves, such ***** Native Americans, as between them. It is also ***** ***** of the way one's own culture influences how others are viewed.

Cultural competence is ***** from both the st*****point ***** the person being served and those being provided the services. Brislin, et. al explain that this cultural awareness allows human service *****ers to feel comfortable and effective in ***** interactions with individuals and families ***** different cultures from ********** own. In Likewise, it enables those same people ***** feel good about