Ethnic Sensitive Social Work Practice: Back to the Future

SUMMARY

In this paper we examine the history and future directions of ethnic sensitive social work practice. We highlight the context within which the approach was developed and current sociodemographic trends. The various rights movements of the sixties and seventies pointed to the need to refocus on social class and ethnicity. The new demographic landscape, largely a function policies, reinforces the importance of concepts such as the ethnic reality and other aspects of our work.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethnic reality
• ethnic identity
• social class
• second generation immigrants
• new immigrants
• ethnic ancestry