Social Work with Immigrants

People whose work brings them into contact with immigrants and their families are concerned about the serious personal and social problems they may face in establishing themselves in Britain. Originally published in 1972, Juliet Cheetham here explores the origin and nature of these difficulties and discusses the contributions and limitations of social work in meeting the needs of immigrants, their relatives and some of the organizations involved with them at the time. Drawing on her own field experience, the author deals with fundamental issues in race relations, together with the problems of poor urban areas in which most immigrants have settled.

She also considers the backgrounds of some of the main immigrant groups, their family structure, and the pressures and anxieties they experience in moving into a new environment. She examines as well the special skills and understanding that social workers in this field need to develop. This is a perceptive study which raised fundamental questions about the values, objectives and methods of social work at the time.

Even today it will also provide social workers with a stimulus to re-think the basis of some of their activities. This book is a re-issue originally published in 1972. The language used, and assumptions made, are a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this re-publication.