Exploring Social Workers’ Perspectives on Establishing Rapport with Narikuravar Community: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Rapport building is the first step in community development wherein a social worker establishes a rapport with the community so they might open up before the Social worker. If this step is faulty, the repercussions might be seen in the later stages of community development. The primary aim of this study was to explore the Social worker's perspective on such rapport with the Narikuravar community and the skills employed for the same, and to explore the challenges in the process of rapport building. This study used a qualitative method of research, and the research design was a case study wherein a professional Social worker working with the Narikuravar community was interviewed to gain insights from her experience. The interview included open-ended questions. Thematic analysis was done using QDA Miner Lite to analyse different themes, which revealed the importance of skills in establishing rapport and also highlighted the challenges faced by Social workers in such settings.