Bilingual Social Workers: Language and Service Complexities

Abstract

Bilingual social workers deal with a range of language and service complexities. However, little is known about how their language skills are used by agencies. This paper reports on a qualitative study of the work experiences of 26 bilingual social workers in San Diego County. The findings suggest that agency administrators need to identify and test for the language skill set that bilingual workers need to possess. Moreover, bilingual workers need ongoing training to enhance their professional language skills. Finally, for the purpose of retention and workload equity, pay differentials and workload adjustments should be considered for bilingual workers.