Case Study 3:

The Nowak Family

The case

Antoni came to the UK on his own at first to work in a chicken factory and to find out how it would be for him and his family to live in the UK. Teresa visited Antoni and was able to speak with other Polish families about being in the UK but, when she fell pregnant, she returned home until the baby was born.

She moved to the UK with the two children in 2022. She joined Antoni, living in a shared house with other Polish people working in the same factory. Antoni is working long shifts, and the family is informally renting two rooms in the house from the contracted tenant. It is at this time that the family come into contact with your service.

Antoni is attending an ESOL class and he would like Teresa to do the same. The family still needs to find a school for Alexander, and they are looking for a house.

Additional information

The Nowak family is from Poland.

Husband: Antoni is 28 and has been in the UK for a year.

Wife: Teresa is 27 and has been in the UK for 2 months.

Children: A baby girl, 6 months old, called Maria, and an 8 year old boy, called Alexander.

The family's first language is Polish. The adults speak a small amount of English and they try to communicate using hand gestures and Google Translate.

Additional information shared by the family

Antoni: "I search for house, but no address, so no bank account. I need address to open bank account but I don't have this!".

Teresa: "I want learn English. ESOL class good but I have the children. Antoni is out a lot" .


Reflecting on 'cultural bias': Using the case study


N.B: Case studies can be used by an individual, or to facilitate a group exercise for a team of practitioners.


Read the case study and write down:


  1. Your immediate thoughts about the family in the case study.

  2. Anything else that you would like to know, and why you would like to know this.

  3. Anything that makes you feel uncomfortable and why this is the case.


Then consider:


  1. How you would come into contact with the family, or members of the family, in your professional role.

  2. Write down the specific questions you might ask Antoni, Teresa, or Alexander.

  3. Write down any potential risks and strengths within this family.


Return to the notes that you made about anything you identified that makes you feel uncomfortable, or as a risk or strength. Then reflect on:


  1. If and how any of the points you identified are influenced by assumptions - or 'automatic thoughts' - about the family's cultural background.

  2. What factors influenced and informed the assumptions that you have made.

  3. How your own cultural background has influenced or informed these assumptions.


Links to other themes


The focus of this exercise is to explore the ways in which a practitioner's cultural heritage, existing knowledge about cultures, and dominant stereotypes and/or labels, can impact on their work with migrant families.


Each case study is also likely to prompt reflections related to the other themes considered on this website. The themes that may be of particular use for this case study are: