Spanish-English Bilingual Social Workers: Meeting the Linguistic Needs of Latino/a Clients

Abstract

Speaking with clients in Spanish is one aspect of providing culturally appropriate services among the growing Latino population in the United States; however, the lack of Spanish-English bilingual social workers in rural communities in the Midwest necessitates an examination of social service providers. In this practice corner article, the author (a) reviews background information on bilingual social workers and (b) examines social service providers in the state of Minnesota who employ bilingual social workers. One significant implication is social service providers collaborating with social work educators in the development of specific curricula for students who will work with Latino clients.

KEYWORDS:

• bilingual social workers
• delivery of services
• Latino/a client
• Spanish-English bilingual social workers

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author would like to acknowledge external reviewers for helpful comments on previous versions of the manuscript. In addition, the author would like to acknowledge Emily Ross, LGSW, who provided research assistance in the production of this article.