Challenges for Social Work Practice in the 21st Century (Carl A. Scott Memorial Lecture Series 2003)
Jewelle Taylor Gibbs outlines the challenges in mental health and social policy for social work practice in the 21st century. Recognizing that political considerations and funding impact mental health and mental health policy, Dr. Gibbs charges social work practitioners to evaluate the agencies that provide mental health services in terms of their overall commitment to diversity in staff, administrative structure, program operations, governing boards and mission that will ensure cultural sensitivity and cultural competence. As agencies move to implement evidence-based mental health they must remember that most of the evidence is based on samples of white youth. Staff social workers should have adequate training and regular opportunities to further their professional training to foster their knowledge and skills in working with a culturally diverse client population. Finally, schools of social work must evaluate their curricula and training programs to ensure that they are providing their masters-level and doctoral-level students with the knowledge and the training that they will require to address the needs of this rapidly changing client population. Gibbs concludes by emphasizing that access to quality mental health for all people of color is a civil rights issue and that all those who seek mental health services should be able to obtain these services without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin or mental health status.
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