Intersectionality in Practice: The Importance of Intersectional Awareness in Social Work Practice

A presentation undertaken at Teesside University, as part of the Social Work Research Network (SWRN) Webinar series, that aimed to explore the use of ‘Intersectionality’ in social work. The interrelated nature of social work practice and intersectional strategies has become increasingly important since the coining of the term in 1989. ‘Intersectionality’ in theory, literature and research assists social workers in understandings interlocking systemic inequalities faced by individuals and people’s multiple social positions. Within such practices it is important to understand the heterogeneous, the specific, and the situational positioning of individuals. Theory can offer social work practice a blueprint for practice. Recommendations include being aware of one’s own privilege and positionality, being aware of uneven and problematic dynamics and building intersectional analyses in practice applying an intersectional lens.