Organizational Culture Contradicts Anti-Racism in Social Work Settings

Background and Purpose: In the United States, racism is systemically woven into social work organizations’ policies and practices, adversely affecting the mental health outcomes of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). For instance, race-based trauma complicates the healing process, especially for those identified as vulnerable (e.g., people living in poverty), by impeding a social worker’s ability to simultaneously attend to the violence associated with white supremacy in their own lives while negotiating the policies and practices regarding anti-racism within their agency. These intersecting factors (white supremacy/racism, organizational culture, and individual social worker allegiance to anti-racist practice) may influence client efforts to heal from past trauma and contribute to the exacerbation of ongoing mental health disparities within BIPOC communities.

Frontline clinical social workers’ experiences regarding antiracist organizational practices (or lack thereof) were explored using narrative interviews. The tenets of critical race theory (CRT) were borrowed to explore perceptions regarding agency practices that perpetuate systemic oppression (e.g., power distributions, dominance, differential racialization, material determinism, etc.). Participants were also queried about their individual efforts at critical self-reflection, and improved self-awareness. Two research topics were identified: 1) clinical social workers' experiences and perceptions of their organization's antiracist practices; and 2) social workers experiences (and feelings of safety) discussing race and anti-racism with their superiors.

Method: Hermeneutic phenomenological principles, wherein patterns are allowed to emerge through shared experiences, facilitated the exploration of licensed social workers lived experiences while employed by non-profit and for-profit mental health agencies in New York (n=7). Study recruitment materials were disseminated via email. Eighty-minute semi-structured interviews were completed: participants self-identified as Black (4), women (5), male (2), heterosexual (6) and queer (1). A “brave space” was cultivated that supported collaborative, critical, and reflexive work; dominant ideologies were challenged, including the influence of social and power-driven structures. Interviews were transcribed verbatim using Atlas-ti 23, and concept coding was used to provide macrolevel meaning to the data.

Results: Two common themes were revealed: 1) participants expressed feelings of disempowerment in relation to organizational leadership, and the lack of support resulted in 2) a reluctance to "call out" their organization's (seemingly) performative anti-racist practices/policies. Several social workers expressed feeling unsafe and two feared possible retaliation from superiors. All participants witnessed racism and discriminatory practices in their agencies by colleagues including problematic behaviors toward BIPOC clients. The findings align with Merkin's (1994) reflection that traditional social work has often maintained the status quo of oppressive dominant structures.

Conclusion and Implications: While CRT emphasizes the idea that there is no place for neutrality when discussing racism, the social workers described organizational cultures that negatively influenced their ability to talk about, use, and promote antiracist practice. All were positioned in agencies that did not consistently uphold the Social Work Code of Ethics (social justice, integrity, respect) and it is likely that the problem is pervasive in the field. Additional research is needed to further explore how social workers can and should employ anti-racist work within systems that may censor their voices.