Working With Immigrant Clients: Perils and Possibilities for Social Workers

This exploratory study reports qualitative data gathered from focus groups with social workers who work with immigrant clients in New York City. Social workers were asked to identify challenges and opportunities they encounter as they work with immigrant clients, families, and communities. The author conducted focus groups with 36 social workers. The findings highlight challenges with service delivery systems, how to improve serving the immigrant population, and policy consequences. Most previous studies related to immigration have been from the vantage point of the client. This study fills a gap by exploring the challenges faced by the worker and offers solutions about how to manage the difficult work when serving immigrant clients, particularly the undocumented.