Summary

This study investigates family involvement and culturally informed social work in Native American communities. The study was conducted in Native American communities in Montana, USA. Twenty-three Native American social work professionals participated in qualitative interviews. Analyses draw on theory of historical trauma and family involvement in indigenous social. Throughout the study, indigenous methodology has been a central principle.

Findings

Among social workers, there is a common understanding that social work should involve family and community if it is to be culturally informed. Social work professionals talk of family involvement in indigenous social work as “common sense.” For the Native American social work professionals interviewed, the following tenets are all “common sense”: (1) family and community belonging are important aspects of Native American culture; 2) oppression and colonization had a negative impact on family, community, and tribal relations; and (3) social work has an obligation to restore family, community, and tribal relations.

Application

Social work has a responsibility to connect culture, trauma, and the resolution of trauma. Furthermore, family and community involvement plays a core part in restoration and resilience processes, healing historical trauma caused by the colonization. Hence, in order to provide culturally competent care, social work practices serving Native American clients should involve family and community. Mainstream social work does not sufficiently build on family involvement as an ideological foundation for qualitatively good social work. We argue that social work curricula impacting Native clients could benefit from the experience and knowledge of these Native American social workers.

中文翻译：

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美国原住民社会工作——包括家庭和社区

概括

本研究调查了美洲原住民社区的家庭参与和文化知情社会工作。该研究在美国蒙大拿州的美洲原住民社区进行。23 名美国原住民社会工作专业人士参加了定性访谈。分析借鉴了历史创伤和家庭参与土著社会的理论。在整个研究中，本土方法一直是一个中心原则。

发现

在社会工作者中，有一个共同的理解，即社会工作如果要在文化上知情，就应该涉及家庭和社区。社会工作专业人士将家庭参与土著社会工作称为“常识”。对于受访的美国原住民社会工作专业人士来说，以下原则都是“常识”：（1）家庭和社区归属感是美国原住民文化的重要方面；2）压迫和殖民对家庭、社区和部落关系产生了负面影响；(3) 社会工作有义务恢复家庭、社区和部落关系。

应用

社会工作有责任将文化、创伤和创伤的解决联系起来。此外，家庭和社区的参与在恢复和复原过程中起着核心作用，治愈殖民造成的历史创伤。因此，为了提供文化上称职的护理，为美洲原住民客户服务的社会工作实践应该涉及家庭和社区。主流社会工作没有充分建立在家庭参与的基础上，将其作为高质量社会工作的意识形态基础。我们认为，影响土著客户的社会工作课程可以从这些美洲土著社会工作者的经验和知识中受益。