Have access already?

Get access to this chapter:

Or get access to the entire book:

8: The Multicultural Triangle of the Child, the Family, and the School: Culturally Competent Approaches

DOI:

10.1891/9780826154156.0008

Authors

  • Hendricks, Carmen Ortiz
  • González, Manny John.

Abstract

As cultural diversity increases in the United States, school social workers and psychologists are on the front lines of empowering children and families to deal effectively with a public school system that has the power to influence the lives of children and families in positive and negative ways. The development of bilingual, bicultural, and culturally competent social workers is critical for a positive interaction and healthy relationship among the child, the family, and the school systems, especially when a child demonstrates some form of learning difficulty. Culturally competent school clinicians play a central role in appreciating and dealing with the power, powerlessness, and unequal power relationships that are inherent in these systems. Empowering diverse families will result in vast numbers of children experiencing more satisfying and productive relationships with the educational system and will help them reconcile the various cultural challenges presented by the home, the community, and the school.