Intertwining immigrants’ identities in service needs assessment : A social work review

Abstract

Though migration has been a constant throughout human history, Finland has experienced a significant influx of immigrants over the past three decades, due to various internal and external factors. This has necessitated policy adaptations, social work research, and shifts in public discourse. Finland has responded to this rapidly evolving phenomenon by developing effective integration programs. However, the Finnish unofficial discourse on immigrants often centers on the refugee narrative, overshadowing the complex identities of individuals and sometimes portraying them as burdens on the welfare society. This thesis examines how the diverse identities of clients, beyond the 'immigrant' label, are considered during the service needs assessment process and their intersections within Finnish social work practice. Social work, aimed at aiding individuals or communities, employs a variety of techniques to gather essential information. A key tool in this process is the service needs assessment, now used across nearly all branches of social work in Finland, including work with immigrants. This study delves into the service needs assessment process, focusing on working-age immigrant clients. It employs frameworks such as social constructionism, intersectionality, and Foucault's theories of power and knowledge to explore the collaboration between welfare workers and clients in tailoring services to diverse identities. Analyzing 17 service needs assessment forms from June to November 2019, the research highlights the complex interplay between workers' methods and the multifaceted identities of immigrant clients, advocating for a more nuanced approach to service provision. The study was conducted using content analysis within a qualitative research framework. The findings reveal that while Finnish service needs assessments cover a broad spectrum of client life areas, other aspects of immigrant-origin clients' identities are often sidelined until they achieve Finnish language proficiency. This emphasis may neglect important elements such as professional qualifications, cultural backgrounds, and personal stories, indicating a need to improve the assessment process to more accurately reflect clients' diverse and rich backgrounds. The thesis argues for expanding the scope of social work to fully recognize clients' complex identities, supporting a wider range of skills, cultural integration, and personal aspirations. It also underscores the importance of culturally sensitive practices among welfare workers, advocating for approaches that consider cultural nuances and power dynamics, aiming to better meet the linguistic and integration needs of immigrant-origin clients, thus enhancing their well-being and inclusion in Finnish society. This thesis suggests future research directions, including qualitative studies on welfare worker and immigrant-origin client interactions, and comparative analyses of how different socio-cultural and policy contexts impact the effectiveness of service needs assessments. This work may contribute valuable insights toward refining social work practices for immigrant-origin clients in Finland, aiming for inclusive, effective, and culturally responsive services. It may underscore the vital need for social work to adapt and respond to the unique paths of immigrant-origin clients, ensuring their process of integrating into Finnish society is met with understanding and support. This suggests that the general service needs assessment form may need modifications to more accurately address the diverse backgrounds and needs of this specific client group, which may differ significantly from the mainstream native client group.