Towards Indigenous Social Work practice: Addressing professional challenges in working with Homeless Greenlanders in Aalborg, Denmark

The article discusses the challenges within social work practices with the homeless Greenlandic population in Aalborg, Denmark. Following a Problem Based Learning (PBL) research curriculum at the Aalborg University, the authors conducted a case study to investigate such practice challenges. Currently social work practice is colonial, needs to decolonize and Indigenize in order to respond to the challenges identified in the study.
Interviews were conducted with social workers from three different social service organizations across the municipality in Aalborg. The findings are analyzed by drawing on a theoretical framework which addresses the role of social workers and social service institutions that support homeless Greenlanders to adjust to life in Denmark. Considering the cultural identity of Greenlanders, indigenous social work is presented as an alternative practice method and approach to mitigate existing challenges within the field and to create culturally appropriate services. The findings revealed that cultural differences pose a fundamental challenge to the effective helping process of homeless Greenlanders in social work practices. This article will thus highlight the challenges within the social worker experience with homeless Greenlanders in Aalborg. Plausible recommendations for practice will be identified.