Breaking Down Language Barriers: A Practice-Near Study of Social Work Using Interpreters

The Management of Time and Waiting by Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Girls in Finland

“…Interpreting sometimes generated some tensions in the meetings. As noted by Westlake and Jones (2017), in situations of low initial trust, rapport needs to be established and sustained in any encounter. Given the central importance of ensuring that the girls could voice their opinions regardless of their limited Finnish proficiency, this was achieved by all participants.…”

More than words can say: Why health and social care policy makers should reconsider their position on informal interpreters

“…A number of recommendations have previously been made to address the challenges that arise from the use of interpreters in health and social care interactions. Westlake and Jones (2018) propose four recommendations for health and care practitioners when engaging with formal interpreters; clarifying misunderstandings, involving service users in ‘small talk’ to promote relationships building, ensuring that reflective statements are interpreted and using an individual’s native language only, even when they have some English language skills. In addition, Drugan (2017) suggests providing specific training for social workers on how best to work alongside professional interpreters, presenting data that indicate improvements in interpreter-professional relationships as a result of such training.…”

“…Similarly, they would not be able to ensure the confidentiality of LEP patients or users of services if family or friends were involved in their language brokering during consultations where sensitive information was to be shared. Although safeguarding and confidentiality concerns are to be taken seriously, research from both the fields of interpreting studies and social work indicate that these issues are also present when using professional interpreters (Lucas, 2016; Westlake and Jones, 2018; Chand, 2005; Bramberg and Sandman, 2012). Bramberg and Sandman explored social work practitioner’s experiences of using interpreters and identified that social workers felt that formal interpreters presented risks to confidentiality.…”

“…Alongside poorer self-reported health, Lucas (2016) identifies that these individuals are more likely to defer treatment, miss appointments, leave without advice and struggle to access health and social care systems. These disadvantages are not limited to health care, as Chand (2005) and more recently Westlake and Jones (2018) report that within the field of child protection social work, families where parents had LEP were more likely to have concerns reported about them escalated even when no more risk was present, indicating that lack of shared language with professionals was deemed a risk in and of itself. Lucas (2016) frames this as language discrimination, reflective of the stigma associated with LEP and the invisible privilege of the English language.…”

Social Work and Human Rights: A Practice Guide

“…Trust and positive relationships are essential alongside clear information, guidance and child friendly practices to support young people's participation in decision making processes. 98 Increasingly social workers work to protect and promote the human rights of ethnically and linguistically diverse migrant groups and their children 99 which means that they must identify meaningful ways to promote relationship-based practice in spite of any linguistic and communication differences 100 .…”