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Abstract

This thesis is about understanding how cultural humility is incorporated and what the barriers and enablers there are for social work practice among primary health care teams in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Cultural humility acknowledges the experience and history of harm as it adjusts to the offering of services among a broad range of population groups. Contextualisation in the Downtown Eastside engages with the historical, social, and political factors for the provision of health care social work practice. Intersectionality and uncomfortable reflexivity are utilised to frame the research. Through community engagement, the development of the research purpose, aims and key research questions positioned relevance for knowledge creation in this study. Method. Data was gathered through an online registration survey and at two micro-focus groups with a total of five social worker participants (N = 5) from four Downtown Eastside primary health care teams. Exploratory reflexive thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. There was a subsequent member checking process, where participants reviewed and validated emerging study findings. Findings. Four key themes have been refined through uncomfortable reflexivity and scholarly review. The first theme is the acknowledgement of embodiment. The second theme is listening to and focusing on the service request. The third theme is power has impact on how services are provided. The final theme is reflexivity reorients care. Discussion and Conclusion. Considerations for practice, policy, and academics perspectives are discussed. The new knowledge is important to be considered because it relates to how services are being provided to vulnerable and marginalised populations in the Downtown Eastside.