Feminist social work seeks to identify and redress oppression and its aftereffects. Models of culturally competent practice have been proposed to aid in these efforts. Yet it is not clear whether members of marginalized groups agree with feminist social workers' ideas regarding cultural competence. This article presents recommendations for culturally competent social work services that are based on in-depth interviews with 40 members of a range of oppressed groups. The recommendations support theoretical work in this area and offer achievable standards for feminist social workers who are seeking to enhance cultural competence that is grounded in the words of disenfranchised individuals.
This logical, humane thesis may give pause to current feminists of a certain age, as some may recognize themselves in the well-meaning responses of the past. Yet the compelling tone of this work, its acknowledgment of good-faith efforts and contextual complexity, are provocative because they lend a sense of hope that we, sisters, may finally get it right.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.