The relationship between social work practitioners' attitudes, beliefs, skills, and knowledge and culturally competent direct practice with African descent clients

The importance of cultural competent social work practice is well recognized in both social work education and practice. Social workers must be culturally competent to address the consequences of diversity in ethnic backgrounds, race, class, sexual orientation, and culture in a pluralistic, multicultural society with its clients. Cultural competency is a major emphasis of social work practice that is encouraged by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).;In this cross-sectional survey, a random and stratified sample of 1000 social work direct practitioners (500 African descent and 500 European Americans) from the National Association of Social Workers' purchased membership list were mailed a questionnaire including demographic information form and four psychometrically tested instruments. A total of 160 surveys were analyzed with a 16% response rate, including 50.6% European Americans, 46.2% African descent, and 3.2% Asian/Pacific Islanders.;ANOVAs, descriptive, bivariate, and t-tests procedures were used to analyze data. Partial support was found for some of the hypotheses. Study participants were low on cultural knowledge and skills specific to African descent people, low on multicultural counseling competencies, and possess a sub-optimal worldview and lower phases of White racial identity attitudes. Slightly less than two-thirds (61.3%) reported that White people must not end racism in this country. Two-thirds (67.6%) reported that they do not consider changing some of their behaviors even if they are racist. Almost three-fourths (73.2%) reported that they have not refused to accept privileges given to them because of their race. More than three-fourths (76.9%) reported that society may have been unfair to Blacks, but it has been just as unfair to Whites.;Implications of this study suggest that in order to "raise the bar" of cultural competency among social workers, intentional efforts in developing and promoting cultural competencies among social work practitioners is needed in the profession. Further implicated is the re-centering of culture as a paradigm for the educational training of social workers specific to working with African descent people. Equal emphasis on environmental and systemic change is needed in social work practice. More research to confirm the findings of this study is needed.