From communal duties to individual rights: The migration of Indian social workers to England

This article will focus on the experiences of social workers who were trained in India and migrated to England. It is part of a much larger study that used a mixed method approach to explore the migration to England of social workers from eight different countries. Indian social workers highlighted the significant differences between the individualistic character of English culture and the much more collectivist Indian culture. This difference shaped a range of attitudes towards the family and parenting, as well as the distinctions between what is ‘public’ or ‘communal’ and what is ‘private’. Other differences raised were regarding communication resulting from the more hierarchical tendencies of Indian society. In the final section, implications for practice are discussed and recommendations are made for the induction required to help future migrating social workers make a smoother transition.
Source: British Journal of Social Work - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research