Date of Award

5-2023

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Lim, Caroline

Abstract

Purpose: While outreach and services continue to expand within marginalized communities, this research aims to identify services accessible to the Mixtec population within the North County of San Luis Obispo and identify the barriers to accessing those services. Methods: This study was conducted by interviewing service providers 18 years or older, who work within the Mixtec community in the private sector, child welfare services and within the school settings. The researcher utilized the post positivist paradigm, and data was gathered through semi-structured Zoom interviews with the service providers. Results: The study sample featured 6 participants who work within the Mixtec community with the average age of 42.5 years old (range = 28-56). The gender distribution was 83.3% female and 16.6% male with 66.6% being Hispanics and 33.3% Caucasian participants. The participants’ education level was 66.6% with master’s level education versus 33.3% at a Bachelor level. Half of the respondents offered educational assistance to the Mixtec community, with services helping parents navigate school systems, helping students plan for after high school, and connecting families to appropriate resources in the community as well as teaching parents the laws about child safety in the home and while driving. 33.3% of services offered by respondents addressed the Mixtec communities’ basic needs including cash aid, food stamps and medical insurance. Finally, 33.3% of the services offered addressed safety issues by investigating child abuse and neglect in the homes. Conclusions: Service providers’ perspectives on the available services offered to the Mixtec community and their experiences addressing the barriers to accessing those services will provide an understanding of how to better serve this community. At the micro-level, the information gathered through this research will help social workers advocate for specific services and help individuals overcome the barriers to accessing these services. At the macro level, this information can help advocacy efforts to improve services offered to the Mixtec community by addressing the barriers to this population accessing

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