(20) I will say this frankly, I do not fully trust the family workers, we have no mutual understanding and it is important that the interpreter is present at
3) Conveying information
Knowledge and power are often seen as intertwined, since some methods of mana-ging and applying knowledge can bring power (Lonka 2001). For example, knowled-ge regarding society may be reflected in increased opportunities for societal action and choice, and thus increased freedom. According to both the cultural interpreter’s and the clients’ stories, one of the most important elements in the cultural interpreter’s
work was conveying information regarding the purpose of child protection social work, the Finnish service system, and child-rearing. In addition, the clients described how the cultural interpreter had provided information they had not been able to request.
First, the purpose of child protection social work was seen as a matter of primary importance in both the clients’ and the workers’ responses:
(41) Clarifying the working practices of Finnish child protection and legis-lation has been an important part of the work. Also, it has been important to bring up the fact that parental rights are not removed in Finland, but instead we primarily bolster the family’s resources with the child’s best in-terest in mind. (W1.)
(42) The cultural interpreter explained about the social workers’ tasks, and my old fears disappeared (C2).
Both workers and clients emphasized that receiving more information about the so-cial workers’ work has led to the clients losing their fear. The interviews showed that these fears had primarily been connected to the possibility of losing the children.
Alongside the support, child protection does involve control and the possibility of the authorities taking custody of the child, which can contribute to the generation of fear.
This can hamper cooperation between clients and workers (e.g. Heino 1999, 24, 26-28). It can be assumed that such fears deplete the resources of a family already in a difficult situation, and conversely, freeing people from fear can be seen as something that frees resources and supports the family towards accepting help. The cultural interpreter also saw a connection between fear and lack of knowledge:
(43) In my experience, the clients’ knowledge of child protection is minimal, and this can cause fear. It is largely a result of them having difficulty fin-ding reliable and accurate information about Finnish child protection. The images portrayed by the Russian media and by their acquaintances may be misleading. In addition, the clients’ limited resources, stressful situation and poor language skills can make it difficult to find information. It is not clear to everyone where information should be sought, in the first place. (CI.)
In the cultural interpreter’s view, it was difficult for the clients to find accurate infor-mation regarding Finnish child protection by using their own channels. The cultural interpreter also emphasized that the clients do not always have any idea of where to look for information, in the first place. The same theme came up in interviews with the clients:(44) The cultural interpreter gave me an accurate description of child pro-tection and told me a lot of things I had not thought of asking about (C3).
Telling things the client does not ask about seems to play an important role. Asking can be difficult if the client does not know the system, since she will not know what she should focus on and what to ask. The cultural interpreter felt that just conveying
information is not enough, but the clarity of the information and explaining the context play especially important roles:
(45) Information should be conveyed in a clear and comprehensible man-ner. Giving the overall picture is especially crucial, because the entire service system can be totally alien to them. For example, if we tell the clients about family work, we should tell them what larger whole it is connected to, and what its purpose is. The service system may seem complicated, so it would be best to describe the services by using concrete examples. (CI.)
The cultural interpreter emphasizes that clarity is a crucial quality in the informa-tion given to the clients. Providing unclear informainforma-tion can be seen as preventing the clients’ empowerment. This is one of the factors that maintain patronizing work practices (see Tuorila 2009, 106). Patchiness in the service system can hamper the immigrants’ own initiative and attempts to get help (e.g. Peltola and Metso 2008).
Therefore, comprehensible information regarding the service system is one of the most important empowering factors for individual people, as it helps the person to conduct her business with the service system independently, and to make reasoned decisions.
Secondly, information regarding the service system in general emerged as a strong theme in the workers’ and clients’ discussions:
(46) Explaining the Finnish service system has been important (W3).
(47) The cultural interpreter explained to me what support people can get in different life situations, and where it can be found. This kind of support could be given at the very first stages of moving. That way people would know where to apply for help, if they need it. Perhaps our family’s problems would not have gotten so bad. (C1.)
(48) Now I know what services exist, and where I can conduct affairs myself and apply for help, should I ever need it (C3).
The workers described how information regarding the Finnish service system had been important, but the clients explained the importance of information in greater de-tail. They described how knowing about the service system allowed them to conduct their affairs on their own, and to apply for help when it is needed. Thus, it can be seen that their opportunities for action have increased. In terms of empowerment, it is im-portant that a person understands what opportunities for action are available to her, and believes that she can influence the course of events in her environment (Zimmer-mann 1990, 174; 1995, 89; Siitonen 1999, 99, 117). Further, several respondents felt that receiving this type of assistance combined with the necessary information could also help in preventing problems, if the information was provided to immigrants in the early stages of moving to the country
In summary, it can be said that conveying information has had an effect on the clients’
empowerment. As they received more information, the clients’ fears towards child protection were allayed, and their chances of acting independently within the service system increased. Acting within the service system is considered important, since the immigrants’ extended family and other social networks that support them are diminished or disappear completely in the process of moving to the new country. In this situation, the roles of various public service officials may become heightened in the immigrants’ lives (Hirstiö-Snellman et al. 1998, 6). With increased awareness of the service system, it also becomes possible to seek certain kinds of help from the service system at the right time.