ABSTRACT
Race, culture and ethnicity can be amongst the most important assets that social workers and clients draw on in their efforts to produce desired outcomes. Understanding the importance of racial, cultural, and ethnic identity to our clients and to ourselves can serve as an asset in our work. Yet, there is no question that the extent to which, and way in which, we emphasize these differences can also hinder what we do. This chapter provides some examples from the children's services in the United States that illustrate some of the challenges of providing effective services across racial divides. Part of the message from these efforts to protect children and to see that they have permanent homes is that when race and ethnicity of children unduly influence service provision, poor services may result. In addition, policy makers may intervene to reduce the emphasis on race and culture in decision making about services receipt. Finally, the chapter concludes that acknowledging differences between us and our clients should not paralyze us or keep us from reaching out, as much helping can be accomplished across racial and ethnic divides.
