Describe the steps that should be taken by a social worker when there are worldview differences between the social worker and the family he or she is working with

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Worldview differences between the family and the social worker can become a contest of worldviews, with the social worker representing community values about families that may or may not be shared by the client. Taken to the extreme, worldview differences can lead to oppressive social work practices. Therefore, it is critical that social workers be aware of potential worldview differences and act deliberately to understand them.
To achieve this understanding, social workers need to grapple with their own assumptions about what constitutes a "healthy" and "functional" family. In doing so, social workers, through supervision, study, and reflection, need to understand their own worldview beliefs about families, including answers to deeply personal questions such as "How should families be organized?," "What is the best way for families to raise children?," and "What are the proper roles of elders, parents, and children in a family?" Furthermore, social workers need to assess client views about families, their perspectives about family structure, and their beliefs about how families work. When social workers encounter clients whose family worldviews differ in meaningful ways from their own, they need to redouble their efforts to understand the strengths of client worldviews and perspectives on family structure and the opportunities those differences provide to promote growth and problem solving.