Social Service Workers’ Multiple Definitions of Family

The competence and professionalism of social service workers are determined not only by work experience but also by approaches to interacting with the target audience. In particular, when working with families, these employees adhere to flexible communication strategies to maintain ethical standards and, at the same time, implement the objectives of a particular intervention effectively. However, a single approach to every family is not possible; moreover, skilled social workers do not espouse the same definition of family. This aspect is essential as a factor that is due to the provisions of cross-cultural interpersonal communication. According to the National Association of Social Workers, parenting roles and practices in families with distinct cultural backgrounds can differ significantly. As a result, if a social worker is aware of such differences, his or her interventions will be more productive and ethically sound.

The definition of family can be culturally distinctive, which explains the need for flexible approaches to communication with target audiences. In the report provided by the National Association of Social Workers, the information is given about what may be considered different in families. In particular, these are parental responsibilities, child-bearing practices, marriage customs, and other features that influence the relationship among family members. Moreover, people from different cultures have individual experiences of interpersonal interaction, which explains the need for social service workers to take these distinctions into account. For a child who has grown up in an environment with specific values, traditional parenting methods may be unacceptable due to unique views on the roles of parents and social adaptation steps. Therefore, to work effectively to support the population and promote productive protection practices, social service workers need to consider distinctive definitions of family and parenting methods based on cultural and ethnic differences.