13.9 – Work with Clients Experiencing Racism
Purpose & Context
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) recognize and address the profound impact of racism on individuals’ career journeys. CDPs engage in ongoing self-reflection, challenge their biases, and strive to understand the unique experiences of clients affected by racism. They educate themselves on historical and contemporary manifestations of racism, acknowledging the intersectionality of race with other identities. They collaborate with clients to explore and navigate the specific challenges posed by racism in their career development.
To prepare to work with clients experiencing racism, CDPs develop an understanding of the diverse history of social, economic, and political racism in Canada, and reflect on how these historical and current experiences may impact their clients’ expectations regarding work, education, and training. CDPs actively seek information on barriers and challenges faced by clients and identify and use relevant resources to address these concerns. They empower individuals affected by racism to articulate their career goals, aspirations, and concerns.
Effective Performance
Competent career development professionals must be able to:
- P1. Identify potential challenges and systemic barriers faced by the client, for example:
- Language barriers
- Racism and discrimination
- Stereotypes
- Limited career advancements or growth opportunities
- Limited access to specific occupations, fields, etc.
- P2. Identify tools and resources suitable to support the client in addressing challenges and barriers, for example:
- Employment-focused resources
- Community services and programs
- Associations and service providers
- Employers and mentors, etc.
- P3. Develop tailored interventions based on client needs, for example:
- Share legal protections relevant to the client
- Identify the client’s support networks, e.g. family, community,
- Use culturally relevant approaches,
- Identify strategies to support employers in the recruitment, selection, and retention of racialized people
- Identify job maintenance strategies, etc.
- P4. Participate in learning opportunities relating to diversity, inclusion, and systemic barriers faced by clients, for example:
- Intergenerational trauma
- Unemployment and underemployment
- Need for employment accommodation, e.g. for religious beliefs or practices
- Sense of self and struggles related to self-identity, etc.
Knowledge & Understanding
Competent career development professionals must know and understand:
- K1. Principles of anti-oppressive practice, anti-racism, and allyship
- K2. Legislation and regulation, e.g. Canadian Human Rights Act, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Provincial Acts and Codes, the Criminal Code, Multiculturalism Act, etc.
- K3. Race-based personal barriers, ways in which multiracial individuals self-identify and understanding of racial privileges
- K4. Race-based systemic barriers, their historical context and their impacts on career development opportunities for individuals
- K5. Community resources and other support services available to clients, including:
- Eligibility criteria for these services
- Quality of these services
- Referral process for these services
- K6. Historic segregation and internment of cultural and racialized groups / Historical impact of Canadian policies on racialized individuals
Contextual Variables
Competent career development professionals must be able to perform this competency in the following range of contexts:
CDPs serve clients with diverse worldviews. Clients’ worldviews may influence their career choices and decisions. CDPs must reflect on these worldview factors to develop culturally sensitive and effective interventions.
CDPs serve clients who may present with complex barriers and challenges, including those stemming from discrimination and systemic inequalities. Clients often navigate contexts where opportunities are limited due to these factors.
CDPs serve clients who may present with past experiences of trauma and exclusion that may affect clients’ trust in career services. CDPs should approach their work with sensitivity to these histories, fostering an environment where clients feel safe and supported.
Glossary & Key References
Terms
Industry-specific terms contained in the standard defined here, where applicable.
Ally: a person who actively supports and advocates for marginalized individuals or groups, working to challenge and dismantle systems of oppression and discrimination.
Anti-Oppressive Practice: a framework that aims to challenge and dismantle systems of oppression and discrimination within society that create unequal power dynamics and marginalize certain groups of people such as racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and classism, etc.
Bigotry: intolerance or prejudice towards individuals or groups based on their beliefs, characteristics, or affiliations.
Racialization: process by which social structures assign racial identities to individuals or groups, often leading to differential treatment based on perceived racial characteristics.
Racialized: individuals or groups who are categorized or treated differently based on their perceived race or ethnicity within societal structures.
Racism: a set of implicit or explicit beliefs, assumptions and actions based on the ideology of inherent superiority of one racial or ethnic group over another leading to oppression and discrimination, often perpetuated systematically through institutional policies and practices.
Worldview: how a person perceives and interprets the world as shaped by cultural lens, individual values, and beliefs.
Information Sources and Resources for Consideration
TRIEC’s Inclusive Workplace Competencies (https://triec.ca/competencies/) – TRIEC’s Inclusive Workplace Competencies can help understand the knowledge, skills, and behaviours that can help organizations create an inclusive workplace. The Inclusive Workplace Competencies is a research-based framework that can be incorporated into training programs and existing competencies models.
ONE NS Dashboard (https://www.onens.ca/goals/goal-8-employment-rate-first-nations-and-african-nova-scotians) – Ivany Commission made 19 recommendations to improve the economic future of Nova Scotia including Goal 8 of levelling employment rates among racialized groups to the provincial average. The dashboard is updated as new information from Statistics Canada is received, reviewed, and compared to the current information for each goal. There are typically 3-5 updates throughout the year.
Context Rating Scales
Criticality
Q: What is the consequence of a professional being unable to perform this skill according to the standard?
Frequency
Q: How frequent and under what conditions is this skill performed?
Level of Difficulty
Q: Under routine circumstances, how would you rate the level of difficulty in performing this skill?
Time Required to Gain Proficiency
Q: What is the average length of time or number of repeated events that are minimally necessary for an individual to become proficient in performing the skill to the standard?
A competent career development professional requires a minimum of one year of experience with at least 40 different clients, representing a broad range of individuals, including clients living with a disability.
Autonomy
Practitioners typically perform this competency without supervision, and alone.
Automation
It is unlikely that this competency will automate.