Increasing migration and cultural diversity have contributed to social workers more frequently encountering clients with migrant background in their professional practice, particularly within social assistance services. These encounters may involve difficult assessments where principles of legal certainty, equal treatment, and individual adaptation must be balanced. Cultural differences, communication barriers, and different understandings of norms may further influence professional interactions and decision making. The aim of this study is to explore how social workers describe and understand their encounters with clients with migrant backgrounds. This study uses a qualitative research design with a hermeneutic approach to explore social workers experience and interpretations of their professional encounters. 

The results show that social workers have different understandings of culture and different views on how cultural aspects should be considered in practice. Several challenges were identified, related to communication, uncertainty in professional assessments, and balancing cultural understanding with equal treatment and legal certainty. This study also shows that access to organizational support, such as collegial guidance and professional resources can affect how confident social workers feel when managing culturally complex situations. Overall, the study highlights the importance of critical reflection, organizational support and continued professional development in strengthening culturally aware and legally secure social work practices.