Week 7: Welcoming Families From Around the World

I am a Social Service Worker and the family I have been assigned is from the country of Nigeria. In preparation to serve this family I will do the following five things:
1. Research the country of Nigeria to gain a better understanding of their surface culture so that once I meet with them I can begin to build a relationship with them. Parents are more responsive when there is a common thread on which they can build trust and relationships.
2. Living conditions is very important in the field of social work. So, I must research so that I can better understand their family structure and the way they are accustomed to living in their country so that I help them to compare things within their country and how they relate to things in the United States.
3. Learning words in their native language will also help to put my clients at ease with me and because I have always been interested in learning different languages, I could also ask them to help me with learning different words in their language.
4. Home visit will also help to build a good relationship with my family. This is a small thing that means a lot to families. Taking a few minutes to visit a family within their environment shows that you care and that, in itself, is the foundation for building relationships.
5. Making the family feel comfortable in a new environment is very helpful in easing their transition to a new country. By this I mean sharing information about the local area through magazines, brochures and even maps will help them navigate their new environment.
I hope the five things I have shared will benefit my Nigerian family by helping them gain new insight on their new home as well as gaining a new friend in me. I believe everyone desires to feel a sense of belonging especially when new to a place. I enjoy meeting new people and learning about their deep culture as well as teaching them about mine so I believe those common threads will benefit both myself and my clients.