Towards cross-cultural social work: a teaching approach for development of intercultural competences / Hacía un trabajo social intercultural: un modelo didáctico para el desarrollo de competencias interculturales

摘要

The professional skills demanded of social workers by contemporary society must unavoidablyudinclude the capacity to apply knowledge, to know how to act and acquire theudappropriate new competences for listening and taking care of people coming from differentudcultures. With regard to the training of future generations of social workers it must beudremembered that they will have to deal with an increasingly globalized society and faceudthe new demands placed upon the profession by the presence of a greater number of peopleudmigrating to Italy in increasingly greater numbers.udTeaching experimentation carried out as part of the degree course in Social Work atudthe University of Palermo over the last ten years has already been moving in the directionudof integrating, first of all, an awareness of the need for professional, trans-culturaludknowledge and, consequently, also urgently planning and providing an improvement forudthe future generations of professionals. From this experience a teaching approach isudbeing developed that consents the integration of an academic education with transculturaludskills and achieve greater effectiveness precisely by paying more attention to theuddiversity of the lives of the subjects in the caring relationship. Training in interculturaludskills may lead to two objectives: ensuring the quality of care for the migrant population,udin terms of equal opportunities and non-discrimination; transmitting a sense of securityudto social workers in dealings with the migrant population, whilst reducing stress andudlimiting erroneous behaviour.udThe intercultural quality of social services, with the possibility of carrying out cross-culturaludsocial work, will enhance services for migrants (e.g. assistance for social integration,udprotection of cultural specificities, prevention of violence and discrimination); it will alsoudbring about the rejuvenation of indigenous communities, by reassuring its wary citizensudand transforming the whole concept of citizenship, in the social rather than legal sense.