Cultural Competence:Supporting All Families

Presented by Diana Autin, Family Voices @ SPAN-NJAt the National Family Voices Conference, May, 2007

The Pebble in the Pond…

“Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.”

The Platinum Rule• “Seek first to

understand, then to be understood.”

Steven Covey

                                                                                                            

What Impacts Relationships?

• Status• Socially acceptable behavior• Body Language• How close we stand to each other• How we communicate & process

information• How we interpret silence• Comfort level with advocacy• How we approach & resolve conflict

What Impacts Relationships?

• Parenting roles and functions• Expectations of children• Beliefs about appropriate

developmental goals & independence• Views about needing and accepting

“help” from non-family members• Fears about being judged unfavorably

Cultural Continuum

• Cultural Destructiveness• Cultural Incapacity• Cultural Blindness• Cultural Pre-competence• Cultural Competence• Cultural Proficiency

Impact of American Cultural values

• Individual Success– Getting ahead– Making money

• Value & purpose of education

• Competition

Examine cultural values: Time

• What does it mean to be “on time?”

• How do you feel when someone arrives late to a meeting? Why?

Examine cultural values: Communication

• Verbal communication– Rates of speech– Voice modulation– Pauses– Use of silence– Time between Q&A

• What is rude? Polite?

Examine cultural values: Communication

• Nonverbal– Body language– Eye contact– Proximity– Deference– Respect

Cultural Scanning• Is the behavior

– Innocent– Ignorant– Insensitive– Racist

• How to respond? Do we– Know the person– Value the

relationship– Have a history

Cultural Reciprocity with Families

• Challenging power• Assuming risks• Sharing stories &

ourselves• Listening with the

heart• Involving those

affected• Offering alternatives• Balancing the scales

of justice and equity• Holding ourselves

accountable

How Change Happens

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will.”

-Frederick Douglas

Agents of Cultural Competence

• Understand context, barriers to change, and stages of change

• Listen• Respond• Advocate• Pursue change• Intervene at the

systems level• Team with others• Facilitate

Leadership in Cultural Competence

• Inspire and help people work toward the goal

• Share leadership• Recognize diverse roles• Become self-aware• Accept responsibility• Ask for help• Be open to constructive

criticism• Encourage & motivate

partners

Know Yourself

• Who am I?• What am I doing here• What are my:

– Goals, purposes– Expectations– Motivations?

• What strengths & challenges do I bring?

• How can I best use my skills?

• How can I make space for others?

Know Yourself

• In my family, children are expected to ___

• I feel like an outsider when _______

• I believe the most important thing in life is ______________

• My ethnic or cultural heritage is important to me because _____

Self-Reflection• Roots, places of

origin• Ethnic group, socio-

economic class, religion, age group, community

• Social interactions with people from ethnic groups, socioeconomic classes, religions, age groups or communities different from your own

Self-Reflection• Speaking language

other than English• Attitudes of your

family of origin on people from different backgrounds

• Values, beliefs, cultural messages re:– Family– Child-rearing– External relationships– Community– Health– Education

Traits needed for Cultural Competence

• Trust• Hope• Shared

relationships• Honesty• Openness• Flexibility• Love

Gaining Community Trust• Trust is not

automatic; it must be earned and it can be lost.

• Trust must be two-way: those who are not trusted, do not trust.

• Trust leads to belief in each other and in a cause.

Developing Trust

• Be honest about the problems, the barriers, the potential negative consequences – as well as the potential benefit of action

Developing Trust

• Be in it for the long haul. Don’t abandon ship after the first disappointment or failure.

• Admit mistakes.• Ask for help!!!• LISTEN!!!• Acknowledge others’

contributions.

Honesty

• I don’t know.• I haven’t had this

experience before.• I’m confused.• I need your help.• I don’t understand.• I made a mistake.

Openness

• Openness means letting go of the present to focus on what could be.

• “What would it look like, feel like, smell like, taste like, sound like, if it was good?”

Flexibility

• Flexibility means willingness to change behavior based on circumstances and need.

• How have people accommodated your needs?

Moving toward cultural competence

• How do we get there?

• What supports are needed?

• What is each of our roles in providing those supports?

• How can it be sustained?

To See Clearly

• It is only with the heart that one can see clearly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. – The Little Prince Antoine de Saint

Exupery

The Chinese characters that make up the verb “to listen” tell us something about this

skill.

Gathering Community Knowledge

• Communities know:– Their history:

where they have been

– Their culture: who they are

– Sacred places– Dangerous places– What is important

to them

Gathering community knowledge

• Encourage and support community members to find their voice.

• Be ready to hear what community members say.

• Respect the passion of the community for change.

Sharing Community Knowledge

• Tell stories within the community to build shared knowledge

• Listen to the stories of families

• Help families share their stories with each other

Partnering for Cultural Competence

• Committed Leadership from all partners

• Maintaining a partnership with good communication, clear decision-making, & specific responsibilities

Myth: Cultural differences are unimportant

• Thoughts– All people should be

treated “the same”

• Feelings– Pressure– Resentment

• Behaviors– Failure to

accommodate differences

Reality: Cultural Differences are Strengths to Build on

• Thoughts– Cultural differences

are strengths

• Feelings– Curiosity– Interest– Appreciation

• Behaviors– Affirm differences– Seek learning

opportunities

Building Cultural Competence

• Quality information:– Develop accurate

“map” of strengths & needs of families from diverse communities –who’s important, what’s important, relationships

• Formal• Informal

– Know how others have addressed these issues

Building Cultural Competence

• Ongoing:•Planning•Implementation•Evaluation•Revision of plan

Developing a Plan

• Who will do what?• Under what

conditions?• To what extent?• What resources

do we need?• How will we

measure?

Specific Suggestions

• Allow time for reflection, don’t always fill silent spaces

• Engage community leaders and cultural liaisons

• Modify communication methods, processes and materials to respond to individual circumstances

• Provide ongoing training and support in diversity, cultural competence, flexibility

• Provide qualified, trained and prepared interpreters when needed

Implementing Changes to Enhance Cultural

Competence

• Bring about changes

• Monitor implementation to make sure improvements take place

CommitmentPeople say, what is the sense of our small effort.They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time.A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. Each one of our thoughts, words and deeds is like that.No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless.There’s too much work to do.