Social Workers as “Cultural Brokers” in Providing Culturally Sensitive Care to Immigrant Families Raising a Child with a Physical Disability

Although culturally sensitive care is acknowledged as the gold standard in pediatric rehabilitation, very little is known about the social worker’s role in providing culturally sensitive care to immigrant families raising a child with a physical disability. This study draws on in-depth interviews with 45 clinical staff within two pediatric rehabilitation settings. Study findings, which are embedded within a “cultural brokerage” framework, showed that social workers’ understanding of culturally sensitive care involved being aware of their biases and how their own cultural or professional orientation may influence their interaction with patients. These results also highlighted common challenges that social workers encountered in providing culturally sensitive care. These challenges included language barriers, discrepancies between clinicians’ and patients’ cultural orientation, gender and generational differences, lack of knowledge of resources, and difficulties building rapport and trust. Social workers sought to overcome these challenges by working as “cultural brokers” to link immigrant families to resources and to mediate differences between patients’ and clinicians’ cultural orientations. In conclusion, social workers play a critical role in providing culturally sensitive care to immigrant families raising a child with a disability.