It is important for social workers to develop a culturally sensitive approach to social work with diverse clients. The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (2008) states that social workers should be sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice. The N.A.S.W. specifically addresses the following in regard to cultural humility and competence. Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures (N.A.S.W., 2008). This is vital when working with juveniles because they sometimes struggle in finding their personal strengths and to help identify some cultural
…show more content…
The state of Wisconsin did not have record that this youth had given birth to any child, let alone two, of which she was claiming to have. The youth did have a history of lies and deceitfulness; however this issue was holding her back from transitioning to release. In order for the youth to gain a release date she was ordered by her social workers to tell the truth and to admit that the children were not hers, they wanted to teach her the importance of honesty. They also wanted to know who’s these children’s mother really …show more content…
She bounced around the details of how she became pregnant and who the father was. Eventually I explained to her that I know that in some larger families, sometimes people may consider younger cousins or siblings their child because they have been the primary caregiver for most of that child’s life, probably due to the fact that the real parents may have never taken the initiative. I asked her if that was the case with her children. She replied that it was not the case and that actually a friend nicknamed KeyBay, was the mother of her youngest boy. This friend KeyBay was sixteen years old and was a prostitute in the Chicago area. My youth explained that her friend did not want the child and that the father was actually a “pimp.” She explained to me that she offered to adopt the baby because KeyBay did not want him; she admitted that they did not go through a formal adoption
The state of Wisconsin did not have record that this youth had given birth to any child, let alone two, of which she was claiming to have. The youth did have a history of lies and deceitfulness; however this issue was holding her back from transitioning to release. In order for the youth to gain a release date she was ordered by her social workers to tell the truth and to admit that the children were not hers, they wanted to teach her the importance of honesty. They also wanted to know who’s these children’s mother really …show more content…
She bounced around the details of how she became pregnant and who the father was. Eventually I explained to her that I know that in some larger families, sometimes people may consider younger cousins or siblings their child because they have been the primary caregiver for most of that child’s life, probably due to the fact that the real parents may have never taken the initiative. I asked her if that was the case with her children. She replied that it was not the case and that actually a friend nicknamed KeyBay, was the mother of her youngest boy. This friend KeyBay was sixteen years old and was a prostitute in the Chicago area. My youth explained that her friend did not want the child and that the father was actually a “pimp.” She explained to me that she offered to adopt the baby because KeyBay did not want him; she admitted that they did not go through a formal adoption