Walking in their World: Social Work with Minorities

Abstract

Chai (2016) notes that “hardly anyone in Mainland China is involved” in social work practice with ethnic minorities or research in that field. This presentation draws on New Zealand immigration patterns and the place of Māori as the indigenous people in presenting multi-ethnic/multicultural social work ethics, standards and practice models as a contribution to this emerging field. The presentation includes the author’s research findings responding to the question: How do social work leaders understand working with minority indigenous peoples? Chai’s (2016) call for social workers in the PRC to “ditch the ‘middle-person’ mentality and put [themselves] in the other party’s shoes” is addressed by New Zealand’s social work commitment to “walking in people’s worlds” (Weld & Appleton, 2008). The presentation asks how China—with 55 recognised minorities—and New Zealand can learn from each other.

References Chai, X. (2016). A study of social distance in the implementation of the national minority social work in Xinjiang. China Journal of Social Work, 9(3), 278-290 Weld, N., & Appleton, C. (2008). Walking in people's worlds: A practical and philosophical guide to social work: Pearson Education.