School Social Workers Building Relationships with Immigrant Students: Utilizing a Chicana/Latina Feminist Ethic of Care

Background and Purpose: Schools function as a setting that can support equity for immigrant children, providing a link to resources and the development of positive social identities. School social workers (SSWs) have the potential to promote equity for immigrant students by fostering a welcoming school climate, being a bridge to resources, and challenging policies and practices that exclude immigrant students. However, traditional SSW practice lacks models that disrupt racial inequity. This study seeks to draw from a Chicana feminist ethic of care framework to analyze the ways in SSWs approached their work with immigrant students to foster equity and support their social, emotional and material needs. This work builds on educational research on authentic care that centers relationships, is based on trust and solidarity, is culturally responsive, and cultivates tools necessary to address racialized oppression. This study seeks to address the following questions: What is a critical feminist ethic of care within the context of school social work practice? What are the testimonios of struggle, resistance, and resilience that inform school social work practice with immigrant students?

Methods: This research utilizes a methodology of testimonio grounded in Black and Chicana critical feminisms that center communities living within a context of racial oppression and xenophobia. This paper is based on the in-depth interviews of SSWs (55) in immigrant serving schools. These interviews are part of a three-stage, mixed-method national study of school social workers. Participants were recruited from the online survey in Stage 2 of the study. The interviews were conducted on the phone or zoom and lasted 30-90 minutes. They were recorded, transcribed, and coded using NVivo. The interviews focused on how the establishment of trust, how their practice is shaped by their own racial positionality, examples of bridging, and their own transformation.

Results: A critical ethic of care among SSWs begins with an understanding how their own positionality shapes their work with immigrant students. SSWs also understood that trust needed to be earned and was impacted by the contexts of reception. A critical ethic of care also provided a “conocimiento” or the ability to develop tactical strategies to ensure that students had what they needed. This meant at times, pushing against Eurocentric social work practices. SSWs also incorporated approaches that addressed systemic issues and advocacy and collaborating with and worked to develop empathy among teachers for immigrant students. Through a combination of these strategies, they were able to cultivate schooling spaces for immigrant youth that consisted of belonging, healing, relationship, and access to resources.

Conclusions and Implications: A critical ethic of care provides a framework for school social workers of all gendered, cultural, racial, or linguistic background to serve immigrant students in ways that empower and provide a healing space for addressing the racialized anti-immigrant context. Furthermore, school social work practice from this framework acknowledges not only the importance, but the urgency of advocacy. This work provides school social workers with a practice approach grounded in critical theory that is culturally responsive and meet the needs of minoritized students.