Cultural Competence In Domestic Violence

Human service specialists need to be proficient in different cultures. By being aware of how different cultures think and react it allows for the delivery of services to be accurate. Cultural competency is described as. “The understanding of diverse attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, practices, and communication patterns attributable to a variety of factors (such as race, ethnicity, religion, SES, historical and social context, physical or mental ability, age, gender, sexual orientation, or generational and acculturation status” (Cross-Cultural Care, 2012). People who work in the human service field must be able to deliver professional services and be able to work well

It have been proven effective in providing services to individuals from a wide spread of diverse backgrounds. Cultural competence is understanding a set of congruent behaviors, knowledge, attitudes and policies that enable effective work in cross-cultural situations (Bazron, Cross, Dennis, & Isaacs, 1989). This means that an individual trains to understand different cultural groups. Cultural competency training is beneficial to all human service organizations because it aims to increase the knowledge and skills to improve one’s ability to efficiently serve different cultural groups therefore eliminating biases and

Domestic violence is a crime that occurs regularly within the United States. It claims millions of victims each year. There is not a specific cause to establish why domestic violence occurs. However, it has been documented that domestic violence is a product of physical, emotional, sexual, psychological, and any other forms of torture or torment that the particular abuser wishes to employ to gain control or power over their victims (Gosselin, 2005). Due to the complexity of this crime, many criminologists and socialologists have studied its causes and the effects in order to determine social policies and additional theories to better understand the causation of domestic violence. The social policies and theories that are developed from

Domestic violence, alternatively referred to as Intimate Partner Violence, is defined by the Department of Justice as “a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.” While domestic violence is commonly thought of as only physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence can also be emotional, economic, or psychological. Domestic violence has remained constant in society throughout history, even though over time society’s response to the issue has changed. While domestic violence affects everyone regardless of race, gender, age, etc. it is estimated that approximately 90% of all victims are women. For the purpose of this paper, I will be focusing on

Domestic violence is skyrocketing in our society. In the U.S., as many as 1.5 million women and 850,000 men were physically assaulted by their intimate partner last year, and numerous children abused by their parents. These sad criminal acts will continue to grow in our society, unless our community takes action to stop these crimes.

In the field of human services, “cultural competency” has become a common buzz meant to address in part the . The intention being, that workers are able to achieve some level of knowledge and training that prepares them to work with

Culture has more than one definition. It can be defined as the language spoken throughout a group of people or even the beliefs practiced. In the professional field of nursing, nurses are required to do more than administer medication or change bandages on a patient. To be able to fulfill a nurse’s job requirements, a nurse must learn to be culturally competent. Cultural competency in the professional field of nursing means to care and respect the patient whether or not the health care provider is in agreement with the patient’s decisions.

Furthermore, culture competent is very important in this profession. “Culturally competent or culturally grounded social work incorporates culturally based values, norms and diverse ways of knowing.” Kumpfer, Alvarado, Smith, & Bellamy, (2002) (pg. 241-246). It is important that social workers not be bias. The reasons why cultural adaptation is important when it relate to social work practices. As a social worker, you must create a treatment plans for your clients. If a social worker not culture competent with her client’s needs, how well the treatment plans be affected for the best interest of her/her

Culture plays a significant role in the case of the Sanchez family. Culture can mean different things to different people. Rogers (2016) defines culture as “all things human such as norms, values, customs, symbols, thoughts, traditions, politics, religions, languages, philosophies, and material objects” (p. 130). It is critical that social workers develop cultural competence to help them work better with their clients and also continually grow during their career. As stated in the Standards for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice, cultural competence “refers to the process by which individuals and systems respond respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, languages, classes, races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, and other diversity factors…” (2007, p. 12).

Although Domestic Violence is a well-known phenomenon, “Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence” (Domestic Violence: Statistics & Facts 2015). From 2003 to 2012, 21% of all violent crimes were caused by domestic violence and 15% of domestic violence was committed by an intimate partner (Morgan, R E. & Truman, J L. 2014). Domestic violence is an important issues in the United States that is somethings over looked, or forgotten about. After researching domestic violence statistics for the United States, I was very surprised to learn that 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime (Domestic Violence: Statistics & Facts 2015). With a lack of knowledge about domestic violence, it becomes more difficult to find those who are willing to take a stand against the violence. If there were more people who knew

The article: From Cultural Competence to Cultural Consciousness Transitioning to a Critical Approach to Working Across Differences in Social Work, is very stimulating yet diverse when reasoning circumstances are presented when expecting a person to share accounts in their life. In the discipline of social work, being cultural competence and consciousness are very important when assessing family’s values, culture, religion and ethical background. When increasing the education in social worker’s competence and consciousness about different culture it helps a social worker understand a family when approaching different ethnic group on a positive level. The benefits of this development will help understand social relationships within in the field

Domestic Violence (DV) is a critical social issue that negatively impacts not only our own culture in America but as well as all other cultures around the world. Domestic Violence is a global issue reaching across national boundaries as well as socio-economic, cultural, racial and class distinctions (Kaur & Garg 2008). Domestic Violence is a serious problem that can be seen around every society from families of both developed and underdeveloped countries and of different backgrounds. Although there are various cases of domestic violence against men, children and the elderly; women account for the majority percentage of victims of Domestic Violence. This violence can take the form of physical assault, psychological abuse, financial abuse or sexual assault (Kaur & Garg 2008). Domestic Violence is a trend that is on the rise and will continue to plague our society if nothing is done on time to address this social issue.

It is imperative that social workers become knowledgeable about their clients’ cultures and are culturally sensitive. In learning about their clients’ cultures, social workers need to be aware of how powerful and significant culture is in relating to clients’ behavior, values, and beliefs. Becoming culturally competent requires the ability to integrate awareness, knowledge, and skills while maintaining a positive working relationship with the client (Sue and Zane, 1987). Today, the concerns regarding cultural competency continue to accentuate the importance of preparing social workers for a diversified society.

As a social worker, it is essential that we must always be culturally aware and open minded when it comes to the diversity within today’s society. The social work profession works with a range of different people, from co-workers to potential clients, so it is important to be aware and respectful to others cultural differences. Culture refers to many different aspects such as religion, race, ethnicity, languages, lifestyles, art, food, music, clothes, traditions and many more. You never want to judge anyone or make someone feel uncomfortable or ashamed for having different cultural values, instead, as a social worker you want to acknowledge, encourage, and understand their differences because that is what makes people who they are. I had the opportunity to experience another culture outside of my own, and learn a different lifestyle that I found to be very eye opening.

131). These are two I was guilty of growing up. As I have gotten older and became acquainted with individuals whose culture or ethnicity is different from my own I have found that it is important to learn more about their individual backgrounds and part of this is having a better understanding of diversity. Being a social work student has allowed me to become even more aware of the importance of a client’s background, as-well-as minority status. As social workers it is important to follow the principles set forth in NASW’s Standards for Cultural Competency. Number 3, Cross-Cultural Knowledge, tells us that as social workers we must possess and continue to develop our knowledge and understanding of, “The history, traditions, values, family systems, and artistic expressions such as race and ethnicity; immigration and refugee status; tribal groups; religion and spirituality; sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; social class; and mental or physical abilities of various cultural groups” (2015, pp.