If you were Carla, what would you do after this last meeting with the Head Start caseworker? How is your opinion affected by (1) knowledge that Head Start caseworkers may not be social workers and may not be subject to the NASW Code of Ethics? (2) the fact that the nature of Carla’s job is direct practice and not macro advocacy? or (3) your own ethnicity or life experiences and your experiences with immigrants?

Question

Carla Hudson, a Black social worker with the Women’s Resource Center (WRC), had worked with Maria Velasquez, a Mexican immigrant and mother of two children, for several years as she struggled to escape a violent home situation. Maria was Carla’s first Spanish-speaking client. Maria’s spoken English was easily understandable, but she could not read or write English well. As Carla assisted Maria in acquiring mainstream services, including Head Start, TANF, Food Stamps, and WIC, she noticed barriers to services that she began to suspect were related to discrimination against Spanish-speaking clients. When two White Head Start caseworkers refused to help Maria attain educational support that she needed in order to gain English literacy, Carla faced the challenge of addressing discrimination issues in another agency and perhaps throughout the service delivery system in Jasper, Alabama.

Answer 1

Carla identified several courses of action that she could take after her last meeting with Head Start. She could look for help with tutoring elsewhere for Maria. She could contact the Head Start Director again or she could work toward some larger-scale advocacy.
The NASW Code of Ethics specifies ethical responsibilities to colleagues, both social work professionals and other professionals. These responsibilities include respect, confidentiality, collaboration, resolution of disputes, consultation, and referrals. The Head Start caseworkers may not have the same professional Code of Ethics, but that does not release Carla from her responsibility to adhere to them.
Professionals often have job descriptions focused on either micro or macro practice, but most jobs involve opportunities to work on multiple levels. Carla would not be in a position to abandon her direct service, but direct service on behalf of all Latino clients could be greatly enhanced if she devoted some time to macro advocacy. Community awareness and education, fund-raising advocacy, and grant writing are examples of macro practice that many direct service workers do regularly. In Carla’s final self-talk in the case, she refers to the possibility of “forcing the system” for change (p. 05.14). Sometimes force is the only option for getting services and making change, but force can also put clients at risk of suffering unintended consequences.
The evidence of discrimination was minimal in the case, although prejudicial attitudes seemed obvious because of the caseworkers statement, “They are all like that.” The special needs of immigrant clients were clear. A worker’s ethnicity and experience is often a key factor in how they respond to clients and to their needs. Carla and the Head Start caseworkers may all have been responding out of their own experiences of racism and discrimination.