INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE AS A COMPONENT OF PROFESSIONALISM OF A SOCIAL WORKER IN THE USA

The article deals with the scientific basis of formation of social workers intercultural competence as a necessary component of their professional activities in a multicultural environment, particularly in the USA. The author has proved that the prerequisite of formation of intercultural competence of social work professionals has a number of social problems of clients, representatives ethnic racial groups, such as high unemployment, poverty, discrimination, ethnic conflicts and others. Different approaches of scientists have been analysed regarding the concept of «culture», which refers to the system of values, beliefs that are shown up in the process of human activity, and in the result their human activity − material and spiritual products. The content of the term «social competence» has been researched. It is considered not only as a set of specific knowledge and skills, but as a set of individual professional performance that determine the efficiency of its activities in a broad social context. The concrete norms of intercultural practice of social work in the USA have been highlighted. They are listed in the Code of Ethics of social worker, particularly in the chapter «ethical responsibility of social worker to customers». It has been found that social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, noting all the positive in all cultures; they should have knowledge of the culture of their clients and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services which may conflict with the culture of customers and does not consider differences among people and cultural groups; social worker must understand the nature of social differences and existing practices of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin or skin color. The author has proved that intercultural competence of social workers is interpreted as the degree of manifestation of specialist's knowledge and skills that can properly assess the specificity and conditions of interaction with other cultures that are manifested in the consideration of their traditions, habits and psychological characteristics, to find adequate forms of influence on them in order to maintain the atmosphere of mutual trust and constructive cooperation to achieve jointly defined objectives of social assistance.