Prof talks on changing nature of social work

Using anecdotes to illustrate race and class differences between social workers and their clients, Washington University professor Larry Davis addressed nearly 70 people in the Faculty Club last night. Davis' speech, entitled "Inroads to Race and Social Class: Implications for Social Work Practice," dealt primarily with the major concerns of poor or minority clients and practitioners' responses to those concerns. "America is experiencing a demographic crisis. Both race and class are increasing in their levels of importance," Davis said, adding that this trend will have "profound social and political implications for the rest of our professional lives." He explained these implications through both racial and social factors. According to Davis, one-fifth of the American population was composed of minorities in 1980, while minorities make up one-fourth of the population today. Davis, an associate professor of social work and psychology at Washington, said that despite the recent dramatic increase in the proportion of minorities in the population, racial segregation is becoming progressively more visible. "Different races are often said to live in different worlds and to subsequently have different world views," Davis said. Relating this discussion on segregation to the field of social work, Davis explained that minorities and the poor who go to social service agencies tend to distrust the practitioners working in the agencies. He said that minority clients may fear renewed racial rejection from practitioners, which would disallow any possibility of positive interaction between worker and client. Davis discussed the three most common concerns that clients have about their social service workers. First, clients wonder if the worker is "of good will." Next, the client will question the worker's credentials. Davis said he believes the worker will be able to negate the client's first two concerns, but the third concern is the most critical to race and class relationships. This deals with whether the practitioner can relate to the social conditions in which the client lives. Davis called this "healthy skepticism," a term describing the client's question of whether the worker can help because of ignorance about the client's cultural, social or language differences. Once the clients' concerns are expressed, Davis proposed that a specific course of action be taken. He forwarded several suggestions for the social worker to follow in order to foster a better relationship with his client. He reminded the audience that "all behavior is purposeful," and told them to "go with the client, because people engage in behaviors that make sense to them." He also said that workers need to demonstrate respect for their clients, examine their own beliefs, have appropriate "helping" skills and knowledge of resources, and to constantly anticipate success. He added that it is impossible for whites to always work with whites, and minorities to always work with minorities. "Reality will tolerate fantasy, but it will not spare it," Davis said. Davis's lecture was made possible by a grant from the Fred Maytag Family Foundation, and is part of the Kenneth Pray Lecture Series. The next Pray Lecture will deal with feminist social work and will take place on April 9.

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