The Journey Towards Cultural Competence

1. The Journey Towards Cultural Competence Julie Collins FRIENDS NRC for CBCAP February 4th, 2009 FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community Based Child Abuse Prevention A Service of the Children’s Bureau

2. What we will cover • Why are we here? • Overview of cultural competence and setting the stage • Agency Self Assessment Instrument • So now what? • Wrap Up

3. Why are we here? • Prisoner • Partier • Sponge • Skeptic

4. What is culture? Definition

5. What is culture? • Thoughts → Received • Models → Experienced • Ideals → Shared for everyday behavior by a community of people

6. Dimensions of Culture • Education • Socio-economic level • Religion/Spirituality • Age • Gender • Place in sibling group • Language • Geography • Race

7. Dimensions of Culture • Sexual orientation • Era of birth or significant experience • Ethnicity • Physical ability • Family structure • Customs • Music • Dress • Food

8. Easily observable elements Fine arts food dance music literature clothing status mobility tempo justice animals descent modesty beauty sin subordination leadership cleanliness dependency disease eye contact problem-solving insanity friendship time self competition cooperation body language adolescence play leisure facial express logic validity handling emotions physical space etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

9. Culture CWLA Definition Culture is a constantly changing, learning pattern of customs, beliefs, values, and behaviors, which are socially acquired and transmitted through symbols, rituals, and events and which convey widely shared meanings among its members.  Culture includes gender, age, sexual orientation, geographic location, ethnicity, values, personality, ability status, marital status, and job position (CWLA, n.d.). 

10. Cultural Competence • What does it mean to be culturally competent?

11. Cultural Competence CWLA Definition Culture competence is defined as the ability of individuals and systems to respond respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, classes, races, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, ability statuses, and faiths or religions, in a manner that recognizes, affirms, and values the worth of individuals, families, tribes, and communities, and protects and preserves the dignity of each.  Cultural competence is a continuous process of learning about the differences of others and integrating their unique strengths and perspectives into our lives (CWLA, n.d.).

12. Cultural Competence • The approach most agencies use to address cultural competence: • Education: Learning about different cultures will lead to increased cultural competency • Racism: If you study and understand what racism is and its impact on those discriminated against, then racism decrease • Oppression: If you study how the power of the majority oppresses minorities you can then find ways to rebalance power • Personal prejudice: Individuals, who identify their personal prejudices, and then find ways to decrease those prejudices, increase their sensitivity to other cultures

13. Organizational Cultural Competence Characteristics of a culturally competent agency: • Customer-driven, understanding and responding to the needs of the population they serve; • Reflecting the population served in their staffing and their physical environment; • Valuing their employees and seeking to make them more active in decisions that affect the people and community they serve; • Valuing the voice of the people and community they serve and having them involved in the program design, delivery and evaluation and oversight; • Designing programs, policies and procedures that are sensitive and effective in meeting the needs of the population served in a manner that is most beneficial and acceptable to that population;

14. Organizational Cultural Competence Characteristics of a culturally competent agency (cont.): • Balancing the needs of the organization, employees, and populations served to achieve optimal results; • Attract a larger applicant pool to fill vacancies, because the organization is perceived to be a safe place for those seeking a supportive work environment; • Is a more desirable candidate for funders, who are increasingly including cultural competence as an criteria in grant guidelines; and • Is more likely to receive referrals from other organizations that need to secure assistance for the increasingly diverse populations that present for services.

15. Organizational Cultural Competence Challenges with integrating cultural competence: • Cultural competence is hard work • No blueprint exists for cultural competence • Requires ongoing commitments of money, time and people • Requires constant effort; there is always room for improvement

16. Organizational Cultural Competence Challenges with integrating cultural competence (cont.): • Cultural competency goals may require revisions to programs, policies, and procedures, or shifts in organizational culture • Cultural competence is costly, because staff members need to go through awareness and skills-based education • Organizational size and hierarchical structure can complicate the integration of cultural competence principles

17. Organizational Cultural Competence • The challenge is not in creating diversity but in maintaining an organizational culture that will sustain a diverse workforce that actively contributes. • Assessment is a critical first step to managing diversity in order to compete and succeed in the marketplace. This assessment must be done by staff from all areas and levels of the agency, from top leadership to direct service and line staff.

18. Organizational Cultural Competence • Organizations develop policies, procedures and practices to more effectively deliver services in a way that respects children, youth and their families and staff members’ individuality and preserves their dignity. Note: This meets standards such as the Council on Accreditation (COA)

19. Agency Self Assessment

20. Agency Self Assessment Instrument • Section 1: Valuing Culture & Diversity, completed by all agency personnel – 6 questions • Section 2: Documents Checklist, completed by the assessment committee – 5 questions • Section 3: Governance, completed by Board of Directors/Executive Board – 11 questions • Section 4: Administration, completed by the CEO, Directors and Agency Leadership – 11 questions

21. Cultural Competence Agency Self Assessment Instrument • Section 5: Policy Development and Program, completed by the Leadership and Supervisors – 29 questions • Section 6: Service Delivery, completed by the Division/Section Supervisors & Service Personnel – 20 questions • Section 7: Children, Youth, and Families Served, completed by the Service Population – 14 questions • Section 8: Interpreting Assessment Results

22. Cultural Competence Agency Self Assessment Instrument • What did the assessment indicate about the overall response to the culturally diverse children, families and communities served? • What did the assessment indicate about the way the agency manages organizational issues related to cultural competency? • What specific strengths did the agency identify in completing the assessment?

23. Cultural Competence Agency Self Assessment Instrument • What specific challenges did the agency identify in completing the assessment? • Were there any culture subjects or issues that surfaced during the assessment that were not addressed in the questionnaire?

24. Organizational Cultural Competence Your agency has a culture……

25. Organizational Cultural Competence Agency Assessment of Cultural Competence: • How should we begin? • What are the cultural competency strengths, issues and needs of the agency? • What is the best way to address the issues and needs of the agency? • Implement a cultural competency improvement plan – at this point the agency may decide that training is appropriate, or to change policies and procedures, or to address issues of staff recruitment, etc.

26. Organizational Cultural Competence Agency Assessment on Cultural Competence (cont.): • Organizational Assessment • The agency would complete an organizational questionnaire and gather supporting documents, if available

27. Organizational Cultural Competence Agency Assessment on Cultural Competence (cont.): • Staff Input • Develop a staff survey to be competed anonymously • Human Resources Department to distribute survey with limited turn around time • Compile and summarize results • Develop staff focus groups

28. Organizational Cultural Competence Agency Assessment on Cultural Competence (cont.): • Client Input • Develop a current/former client survey to be completed anonymously • The agency distributes the survey in a way that gets the best possible return • Compile and summarize results • Develop focus groups with current/former clients to provide greater insight into how the agency could operate in a more culturally competent manner

29. Organizational Cultural Competence Agency Assessment on Cultural Competence (cont.): • Develop an agency cultural competency improvement plan • Cultural Competency Committee would review the results from the surveys and focus groups and make recommendations for appropriate interventions to improve cultural competency • Cultural Competency Committee would present recommendations to Senior Management

30. Organizational Cultural Competence • Develop an agency cultural competency improvement plan (con’t) • Once approved, the Cultural Competency Committee would begin development of an action plan to address priority of needs and issues • Senior Management would approve action plan and authorize implementation • Implement the agency’s cultural competency improvement plan

31. Organizational Cultural Competence • How does an agency evaluate itself? • Is the goal to value diversity or manage diversity? • Is the goal to learn more about diversity? • Is the goal to become more efficient and effective? • Is the goal to create an environment that fosters open discussion about differences and in which differences are openly addressed in the decision-making process for children and families? • How can the agency assess and measure the cultural competency of policies, programs and service delivery plans currently in use?

32. Organizational Cultural Competence • How does an agency evaluate itself (cont.)? • What type of ongoing staff education and development are needed to improve understanding of the importance of cultural competence at the agency, for the populations served, and in the work staff do every day? • Are regulatory authorities’ and funders’ guidelines or criteria placing expectations on issues of cultural competence as part of their requirements? • Is the agency aware of the needs of the populations served? How does the agency know this?

33. Agency Finding Most important questions: #2 Evaluates all staff on their cultural competency, among other skills? #5. Utilizes the expertise of community leaders, elders, and other resource persons in planning programs and delivering services?

34. Cultural Competence Agency Self Assessment Instrument Future Plans • How does the agency plan to build on identified cultural strengths? • Will the agency develop a plan to address the identified cultural challenges? • How will you organize the work and monitor its progress? • What is the agency’s capacity with addressing cultural competence challenges? • Is there a need for outside consultation and/or training?

35. Work Plan Development

36. Wrap Up • Important to start somewhere • Assess where you are at and build from there • No blueprint exists for cultural competence – you create it as you go • Remember requires constant effort; there is always room for improvement

37. Contact Information • Julie Collins CWLA’s Project Director for FRIENDS jcollins@cwla.org (703) 412-2411 • Alicia Luckie T/TA Coordinator for FRIENDS apluckie@elmore.rr.com (334)567-3291 • www.friendsnrc.org FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community Based Child Abuse Prevention A Service of the Children’s Bureau