Presents four strategic building blocks for child welfare workers to create positive working relationships within culturally and ethnically diverse communities (CEDCs) using the “insider-outsider” framework for discussion. The first building block challenges individual social workers to become fluent with the ???insider??? perspective of their target population by expanding their own knowledge base of customs, enlightening their awareness of significant cultural values, and increasing their own proficiency in providing effective assistance. The second building block requires the social services organization to sponsor opportunities, such as focus group meetings or attendance at local festivals or performances, in order to increase cultural understanding. The third building block, discussion of stereotypes and stereotyping, allows intensive training to remove preconceptions and barriers to achieving cultural competence. The fourth building block, formation of collaborative alliances with CEDCs, requires long-term effort yet connects the appropriate services with the clients. These alliances include: welcoming CEDC members as leaders during the planning of services and programs, developing youth-oriented cooperative skills programs, soliciting CEDC elders for cultural assistance during children???s programs or ethnic festivals, and providing materials for CEDC adolescents to create scrapbooks to record and share their culture. (IP)
