Why class matters

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Tarih	: 01 Mayys 2008 17:40

I think it is fair to say that despite the high numbers of Turkish speakers in certain London boroughs, there are still very few public/social care sector workers from these groups. The point I would like to make here is that although more workers are needed to reflect the populations some consideration does need to be given to the skills and capabilities of workers, as the fact that they are a Turkish speaker should not be enough in itself. In much the same way that being English by origin does not guarantee you a job working with English people. In my work life I frequently come across professionals from Turkey and Cyprus who have come to Britain in the last few years in order to find jobs. Quite often they are snapped up by local statutory and voluntary sectors, the fact that they are ‘Turkish’ seeming to be the main attraction. Now I do not want it to seem as if I am launching a personal attack on hard working conscientious individuals, but feel I need to make the point that just because you can speak Turkish (it often is Turkish not Kurdish) it does not mean you will understand or be better equipped to deal with the problems and experiences of the communities here. This point also applies to Turkish speakers who are British by birth.

It is often the case that those most in need of support and guidance are from very different socio economic backgrounds both here and in Turkey/Cyprus. Turkey, Cyprus and Britain could not be more different and I struggle to see how middle class people from Turkey or Cyprus can get their head around life in Britain, especially in the inner cities of London. Admittedly the advantage they have is that they care and are more committed to helping what they term as ‘their people’, but is this always enough? Yes we can both be Turkish by origin but this does not mean that we are necessarily natural allies or that we will understand one another’s experiences. Add to this complex subject the fact that a lot of those classed as Turkish speakers are in fact ethnically Kurdish, a point which is sometimes not acknowledged as widely as some from the Kurdish community would like. Of course some individuals have the ability and skills to work across such barriers, but my point is that it should not be assumed that they have simply because they are classed as a ‘Turkish speakers’.

Of course when you belong to an ethnic minority group in Britain you may naturally feel drawn to those who you feel you have something in common with, but how rational is this feeling in all reality. Experiences are shaped by our background, and this includes socio economic status as well as gender too. Language skills are vital but let us be clear there is a difference between an interpreter and someone who has the skills and experience to deal with the needs of others even if they share an ethnicity. Working with the public from a social care point of view is a complex task and one that needs to be treated as such. Having workers from specific backgrounds is always a good things as it will add variety to the work place but skills and attitude are just as important as ethnic origin-a point that often gets lost.  Let us never forget this otherwise we are just ticking the right boxes for those managers within the public sector who want to show how good their equal opportunities policies are and how well they are addressing the needs of what they term ‘hard to reach groups’.

“skills and attitude are just as important as ethnic origin-a point that often gets lost”

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