National Association of Social Workers

Social Workers Reach Out to Immigrants

Cultural Competence Central to Work With Communities

Social workers have long provided services to immigrant communities.

By Lyn Stoesen, News Staff

Illustration: John Michael Yanson

The population of the United States has always been dynamic and changing. From its founding, the country has been a nation of immigrants, and that trend continues today: The foreign-born population of the United States now surpasses 33 million — making up more than 11 percent of the total population.

Social workers have long been on the front line providing services to immigrant communities, from Jane Addams' work in Chicago at the turn of the last century to the present day. Social workers have also been at the forefront fighting to ensure that immigrant populations are accorded the rights they deserve and receive the services they should.

NASW strongly advocates the rights of immigrants and works to promote legislation and policies to support immigrant communities. The association's policy statement on immigrants and refugees states that "the plight of refugees and immigrants must be considered on the basis of human values and needs, rather than on the basis of foreign policy-related ideological struggles, racism, or xenophobia."

(Immigrants are persons lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States; refugees are aliens outside the United States who are unable or unwilling to return to their countries because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution.)

The need for social workers to be culturally competent is the core of NASW's approach to working with immigrant communities, and it is an important element of social work education.

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From January 2005 NASW News. © 2005 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising, promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.