International migration of social workers across the Atlantic Ocean: Moving between Canada and England

Abstract

Transnational social workers continue to play a crucial role in resolving shortages within social services in England. This paper presents findings from a mixed-method study exploring the experiences of transnational social workers migrating between England and Canada and focusing on the impact of culture on their migration. The two studies reported in this article employed semi-structured interviews and online questionnaires. The findings highlight that the Canadian social workers in England and the English social workers in Canada experienced difficulties adjusting to local cultures, with some reporting culture shock. While there are many similarities between the two cultures, existing differences were often significantly greater than expected. These differences included tensions between direct and indirect communication, forms of politeness and humour, emotional expression, and the place of therapeutic culture in practice. Service users are not well served when transnational social workers are ill-prepared for the specific cultural and organizational contexts they encounter in new practice environments. Accordingly, this paper argues for culturally specific induction, critically informed professional preparation, and workplace support, while recognizing that such measures do not replace the need for structural change within social work systems.