TY - JOUR
T1 - Beyond Bilingual and Bicultural
T2 - Serving Latinos in a New-Growth Community
AU - Lanesskog, Deirdre
AU - Piedra, Lissette M.
AU - Maldonado, Stephanie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2015/10/2
Y1 - 2015/10/2
N2 - This study explores how human services providers in “new-growth” communities—those with rapidly growing Latino immigrant populations and limited Spanish-speaking professionals—work with newcomers who tend to be Spanish-speaking and poor. We interviewed 25 human service professionals working with Latino immigrants in one new-growth community and found that service delivery to Latinos requires not just language ability and cultural knowledge, but the convergence of four distinct skill sets: (a) language skills; (b) cultural competence; (c) empathy; and (d) the provider’s will to act. We use these findings to illuminate institutional roadblocks and strategies to create a more effective service environment for providers and the Latino newcomers they serve.
AB - This study explores how human services providers in “new-growth” communities—those with rapidly growing Latino immigrant populations and limited Spanish-speaking professionals—work with newcomers who tend to be Spanish-speaking and poor. We interviewed 25 human service professionals working with Latino immigrants in one new-growth community and found that service delivery to Latinos requires not just language ability and cultural knowledge, but the convergence of four distinct skill sets: (a) language skills; (b) cultural competence; (c) empathy; and (d) the provider’s will to act. We use these findings to illuminate institutional roadblocks and strategies to create a more effective service environment for providers and the Latino newcomers they serve.
KW - Latinos
KW - human services
KW - immigrants
KW - new-growth communities
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84949496204&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84949496204&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/15313204.2015.1027025
DO - 10.1080/15313204.2015.1027025
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84949496204
SN - 1531-3204
VL - 24
SP - 300
EP - 317
JO - Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work
JF - Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work
IS - 4
ER -