My final essay from my class Families in Global Perspectives on the topic of human trafficking serves as an artifact demonstrating my understanding of assessment within social work practice. In this paper, I explored how human trafficking impacts family systems across cultural and global contexts, examining how poverty, inequality, migration, and systemic vulnerability contribute to trafficking risk and long-term family disruption. By comparing trafficking experiences and responses in the United States and Thailand, I analyzed how broader social, economic, and cultural environments influence the wellbeing of individuals and families. This assignment required me to apply a person-in-environment perspective by recognizing that family challenges cannot be understood in isolation but must be assessed within larger systems of oppression, access to resources, and community context .

When reflecting on competency 7, I found that this essay strengthened my understanding that assessment is an ongoing and culturally responsive process that involves identifying both risk factors and sources of resilience. Through examining trafficking survivors’ experiences, I considered how trauma, family separation, socioeconomic instability, and cultural context shape long term recovery and reintegration. I also developed a research question exploring how trafficking affects family dynamics and resilience across ethnic and cultural groups, which reinforced the importance of collaborative and strengths-based assessment when working with vulnerable populations. This assignment deepened my awareness of how bias, privilege, and systemic inequities influence assessment and decision making, while reinforcing the importance of approaching individuals and families with cultural humility, critical reflection, and an understanding of their broader social environment.