Diversity and equality in social work: a qualitative study in Italy

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to explore the professionals' process of reasoning about values in social work practice, when challenges arise in the intervention with clients from different cultural backgrounds. The research was carried out using a purposeful sample of Italian social workers, employed in different municipalities. The interviewees were presented a story in which an Italian social worker interacts with a married couple from Morocco, asking for financial help. After a situation of cultural clashing, a subsequent meeting is organised with two other social workers, who express contrasting opinions about what to do in this case and their rationale for decision making. The interview was made to explore (a) how the meanings of equality and diversity are constructed in the social workers' discourses and (b) how the professionals take into account cultural differences. The results reveal important variations within individual accounts and rationales provided to make sense of values and different ways of interpreting the social workers' role in approaching cultural differences.

SOMMARIO

Questa ricerca si è posta l’obiettivo di esplorare i processi di costruzione dei significati attribuiti ai valori nella pratica di servizio sociale, in particolare quando emergono sfide determinate dall’incontro con persone che provengono da contesti culturali differenti. Lo studio ha utilizzato un campione di assistenti sociali, impiegati in servizi comunali di una provincia del Nord Italia. Agli intervistati è stata presentata una storia-stimolo, in cui un’assistente sociale interagisce a colloquio con una coppia di origine marocchina, rivoltasi al servizio per una situazione di difficoltà economica. In seguito all’emersione di un conflitto, il caso viene discusso in equipe con altri assistenti sociali che esprimono differenti opinioni, in riferimento a posizioni valoriali contrastanti. L’intervista ha avuto l’obiettivo di esplorare (a) come i significati attribuiti ai concetti di uguaglianza e differenza sono costruiti nelle pratiche discorsive degli assistenti sociali e (b) come i professionisti considerano le differenze culturali all’interno del processo di aiuto. I risultati evidenziano significative differenze nei modi di attribuire senso ai valori e differenti interpretazioni relative al ruolo dell’assistente sociale nell’approccio con la differenza culturale.

KEYWORDS:

• Intercultural sensitivity
• intercultural competence
• diversity
• equality
• social work values

PAROLE CHIAVE:

• sensibilità interculturale
• competenza interculturale
• differenza
• uguaglianza
• valori nel servizio sociale

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mara Sanfelici

Mara Sanfelici, PhD in Applied Sociology and Social Research Methods, Social worker and Lecturer in Social Work Methods and techniques (Department of Law, University of Parma, Italy), currently Researcher at the National Foundation of Social Worker in Rome. Focus of Sanfelici's current research includes intervention methods with older people, social inclusion of migrants and child protection.