Intended as a tool for personnel in the helping professions who work with Chicano migrant families and have little or nor prior knowledge of their culture or history, the manual presents a historical and cultural perspective of the Mexican American migrant families. The six units cover Mexican American history, cultural awareness, Mexican American family, traditional medical approaches, situations affecting migrant families, and migrant child welfare. Unit 1 briefly summarizes Mexican American history in the Southwest and lists terminology of cultural identification. Unit 2 presents the classical definition of "culture," examines cultural awareness from a subjective and an objective perspective, and relates cultural awareness to social change. The next two units present a portrayal of the contemporary Mexican American family and a summary of traditional approaches to the practice of medicine found in many Mexican American communities. Unit 5 describes situational factors affecting migrant families, due to environmental conditions found in their lifestyle, which may lead to child neglect. Unit 6 provides a summary of migrant child welfare services. Each unit includes a description, goals and objectives, rationale, and content. A list of approximately 50 resource materials on various topics about Chicanos concludes the manual. (NQA)