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Value

 Worth, excellence, or degree of worth ascribed to an object, activity, or class of Crossnore School something. & Children’s  Function of the valuing process. Home New Employee Orientation CULTURAL COMPETENCY

 An integrated pattern of human behavior that What Is Culture? includes thoughts, communications, languages, practices, beliefs, values, customs, courtesies,  Pattern of arrangements, behaviors rituals, manners of interacting, roles, relationships, whereby a society achieves collective and expected behaviors of a racial, ethnic, achievement. religious, or social group and the ability to  Patterns of behaviors transmitted by transmit the above to succeeding generations symbols.  Set of rules and norms that promote stability and harmony within a society.

Source: National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University

Culture Gives Culture Matters Context and Meaning When culture is ignored, families are at risk of not getting the support they need, or worse yet,  It is a filter through which people process their receiving assistance that is more harmful than experiences and events of their lives. helpful.  It influences people’s values, actions, and expectations of themselves.  It impacts people’s perceptions and expectations of others.

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Ethnic/Ethnicity Diversity

 Groups of people believed to be biologically  Condition of being different. related.  Pertains to ways individuals, communities,  “Peoplehood”. culture may differ from each other.  Members of group share unique social and cultural heritage.

Cultural Competence What Is  Implies the integrated pattern of human behavior that includes: Cultural Competence?  Thought, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values and institutions of racial, ethnic religious or social groups.

Cultural competence:

 The ability to think, feel, and act in ways  The integration and transformation of that acknowledge, respect, and build knowledge about individuals and groups of upon ethnic, socio-cultural, and linguistic people into specific standards, policies, diversity. practices, and attitudes used in appropriate cultural settings to increase the quality of services, thereby producing better outcomes.

Source: National Technical Assistance Center for State Mental Health Planning (Davis, 1997) Source: Lynch and Hanson, 1998

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Cultural Competence vs. Cultural Awareness Cultural Competence

 Cultural competence:  Implies having the capacity to function The ability to effectively operate within different effectively. cultural contexts.

 Cultural awareness: Sensitivity and understanding toward members of other ethnic groups.

Source: National Association of School Psychologists

Culturally Competent System of Cultural Competency Care Continuum

 Acknowledges Importance of...  Six Key points along continuum  Culture  Range from “Cultural Destructiveness” to  Assessment of cross-cultural interactions “Cultural Proficiency”  Vigilance toward the dynamics resulting from cultural differences  Expansion of cultural knowledge  Adaptation to meet culturally unique needs

1. Cultural Destructiveness 2. Cultural Incapacity

 Attitudes, policies and practices which  Intent not to be intentionally culturally are destructive to cultures and individuals destructive within them  Lack of capacity to work with minorities  Purposeful destruction of a culture  Extreme bias and belief in racial  Assumes one race superior superiority of dominant group

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3. Cultural Blindness 4. Cultural Pre-competence

 Midpoint on the continuum  Implies movement  Systems/agencies provide services with  Weaknesses recognized in working with philosophy of being unbiased. minorities  Belief that color or culture make no  Attempts to improve practices and difference increase knowledge  Belief that dominant culture approaches  Danger of tokenism are universally applicable

6. Advanced Cultural 5. Basic Cultural Competence Competence

 Acceptance and respect for difference  Culture held in high esteem  Continuing self-assessment regarding  Knowledge base of cultural competence culture sought by:  Careful attention to dynamics of  conducting culture-based research difference  developing new approaches based on  Continuous expansion of cultural culture knowledge and resources  publishing and disseminating results of culturally sensitive/competent research

How Do We Acquire Cultural  Make policies and practices fluid to Competence? accommodate necessary adjustments

 Recognize the broad dimensions of culture

 Respect families as the primary source for defining needs and priorities

 Increase sensitivity to alienating behaviors

 Change decision-making processes to include families and the community

 Commit to structural and policy changes that cont. support cultural diversity

Source: Focal Regional Research Institute for Human Services, Portland State University

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Achieving Cultural Movement Toward Cultural Competence Competence

 Individually:  Attitudes must change to become less

 Do you have close personal relationships ethnocentric and biased. with people who are culturally and socio-  Policies must change to become more economically different? flexible and culturally impartial  Do you have the desire, knowledge, and  Practices must become more congruent skill to integrate culturally relevant with cultures considerations into your work?

cont.

Value Diversity Achieving Cultural Competence  Create an environment in which people feel  Organizationally: safe to express culturally based values,  Value diversity perceptions, and experiences  Conduct cultural self-assessment  Host social events at which music, food, & entertainment reflect cultures represented  Identify cross-cultural dynamics  Hire staff and leaders who reflect the  Institutionalize cultural knowledge community’s cultural diversity  Adapt service delivery to diversity within and between cultures  Partner with cultural organizations and institutions

Source: Adapted from National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University

Conduct Self-Assessment

 Honestly explore values, beliefs, and attitudes about your culture and others’

 Non-defensively engage the entire organization, families, and the larger community in the self- assessment

 Investigate whether recruiting and hiring practices and policies ensure diverse staffing and representative leadership

cont.

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