BUILDING CULTURAL
COMPETENCE IN YOUR
ORGANISATION: AN ASSESSMENT
TOOL FOR THE DISABILITY
SERVICES SECTOR
2015
Hamish Robertson
Maria Katrivesis
Joanne Travaglia
Georiography and Associates
Please cite as:
© Robertson HL, Katrivesis M, Travaglia J. (2015) Building cultural competence in your
organisation: An assessment tool for the disability services sector. Georiography and
Associates, Sydney Australia.
For additional copies, or copies of full Cultural Diversity Competency Framework report by the
same authors, please contact :
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.georiography.com
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The Cultural Diversity Competency Framework
Assessment Toolkit
Introduction
Recognition of the diversity of human beings and their experiences and the
complexity that diversity brings to human interactions is, and always has been, a
constant in the provision of high quality services. Service providers’ ability to
embrace and respond to diversity can be seen as a measure of their organisational
capacity, capabilities and competence as a whole.
The effective provision of support to people with disabilities depends on
organisations’ and individuals’ responsiveness to clients with complex conditions
and situations. In modern management “speak” this depends on an organisation’s
agility and resilience. These characteristics rely in turn on the service’s culture,
understood increasingly as those day to day discussions that put values into action.
The Cultural Diversity Competency Framework (CDCF) provides the foundation for
a new approach to diversity within disability organisations. The CDCF begins not
with a blank slate, but from a position of acknowledgement and recognition of the
strengths, vision and commitment that the disability sector already has in place to
individuals and groups with a diverse range of experiences and expectations.
The CDCF draws together and explores areas of common concern for providers,
clients and communities, by employing an holistic approach which includes an
understanding of how population (macro), community and service (meso) and
individual (micro) needs shape the delivery, use and outcomes of services. It is
based on the latest research and best evidence on quality improvement and change
management, but for a very practical purpose, that is to assist clients and providers
in working together to achieve the best possible outcomes for all those involved.
The CDCF will lead you through a series of questions around ten key areas. There
are no right or wrong answers. The Framework is about assessing where you are,
where you could be, and how to get there. The outcome will be a personalised
profile of your organisation, its strengths and weaknesses in relation to cultural
diversity issues, and more importantly insights into how to increase your
responsiveness to clients – and staff, of all backgrounds.
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Principles underpinning the use of the CDCF assessment tool
Underpinning the CDCF and this associated self-assessment tool are four principles.
The first principle is focuses on the client, and acknowledges that each individual
has a range of characteristics, capacities and concerns which will affect their
needs and choices. While the CDCF takes CALD and disability as primary foci, it
acknowledges that people’s gender, socio-economic status, age and sexuality, as
well as their education, location, employment and so on, will all affect their the way
in which they seek out and utilise services, and which services they consider most
appropriate. Stereotyping is a persistent danger across all services; assumptions
that an individual comes from a large, warm embracing ‘ethnic’ family and
therefore has an extended support group is as dangerous for an individual seeking
services as the assumption that sexuality is not a concern for an woman with
disabilities, with a strong religious commitment.
The second principle focuses on the community. It acknowledges that while
consumer directed care rightly argues that the individual is in control of their
choices, it also recognises that individuals are relational beings, and that these
relationships or context (often, but not always) link them to carers, families and
friends, groups and communities. These relationships have to be accounted for in
the delivery of services. Moreover, it is important to acknowledge that patterns of
disadvantage, in relation to our four cornerstones (access, utilisation,
quality/safety and outcomes) occur within and across groups and communities,
and therefore services cannot respond to individual needs without recognising and
planning for community expectations and concerns.
The third principle recognises that diversity applies not only to clients but to
staff. Recognition and responsiveness to diversity is most successful when it treats
staff with the same level of cultural competency as the clients: building on
strengths, recognising challenges and affording all the choice as to which elements
of their experience and identity with which they wish to acknowledge and engage
in the service delivery process.
The fourth final principle addresses the improvement process itself. This principle
is drawn from appreciative inquiry and positive organisational theory which
seeks to build accountable, resilient and reflexive organisations. These theories
suggests that organisations should first seek to identify and strengthen what an
organisation is doing right, and in the belief that small changes can result in big
improvements to the day to day experiences of clients, carers, families and staff.
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Using the assessment tool
This assessment tool is based on an extensive review of the research and previous
work conducted and tested by Travaglia and Robertson. Use of this assessment tool
should be undertaken in conjunction with the whole Cultural Diversity Competency
Framework report which is available from the authors at the
www.georiography.com website, or through the Northcott Society website.
This tool will lead you through a self-assessment of 10 key elements in cultural
competence: population, place, personal, philosophy, policy, planning, personnel,
practice, programs and products. There is a brief description of each element,
followed by five basic questions. The scoring process is subjective – but given the
purpose of this tool is self rather than independent review, the very process of
reflection and review is intended to assist disability services to come to an
understanding not only of what they currently do well, but also areas for
improvement.
The tool can be used in a variety of ways. It can used as a straightforward
questionnaire. It can be used as prompt questions for stakeholder focus groups, in
formal or informal discussions. Sections of the tool, for example the questions
associated with practice, could be used as Key Performance Indicators or as part of
staff review.
In whatever way you choose to use the tool, one central element should apply. In
research there is a concept known as ‘triangulation’. This principle means what is
sounds like – that different sources (often three, but even two are fine) are
compared. So while this assessment tool is intended to be a positive experience, it
is also intended to be an honest one. This means that the more stakeholders and
different opinions you gather, the more robust the results.
In practice, whether you receive a score of 15 rather than a 16 might be a matter of
pride, but the real value lies in whether your staff’s self-assessment score is 17
compared to your clients’ score of eight. The value and the truth of this tool lies in
comparison: between stakeholders, and over time.
Take time to review the tool. Consider the questions in light of your current strategic
and operational plans. Consider building into your next planning cycle. Feel free to
change the format, simplify the language, put it in the first person (“our
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organisation”) and most of all, given the intent of this project as a whole, to have the
information translated and given to clients from a variety of backgrounds.
Do read the associated Cultural Diversity Competency Framework before you apply
the tool. It will give you additional information and rationale for its use. At the end
of the tool you will see a spider graph on which to plot your overall scores, and some
feedback based on your score. These will provide you with some direction and
advice on how to address the areas which need additional development. If you feel
that you have substantial areas for development, then consider asking a specialist
facilitator to come in and assist you both in the assessment and in the response
process.
Consider this tool and its associated principles as a starting point. Whatever your
scores, there is always the opportunity to reach out to new or different
communities, to engage new stakeholders, to develop and broaden the skills of your
staff and to engage them more fully, to take an individual and organisational
leadership role, and most of all to ensure that your service ensures the best possible
outcomes for all your clients.
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Population
Strategic planning means understanding who your current clients groups are, who they
could be, and how they are located. In this section we will ask you reflect on how much
information you currently have on the populations surrounding and utilising your services,
what additional information you might need and most importantly, why.
Competency
Always Sometimes
3
4
Rarely Never
2
1
Don’t
Know
0
Score
1. Does your organisation
regularly collect data
about the demographic
composition of its
catchment area or areas?
2. Does your organisation
utilise that data to inform
its planning processes?
3. Does your organisation
have strategies in place to
reach out to new,
emerging or missing
communities?
4. Does your organisation
use that data to improve
client service provision?
5. Does your organisation
collect data about the
diversity of its workforce?
Total
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/20
Population
1. Why did you give your organisation that rating?
2. What assumptions were you making?
3. What needs to happen next?
4. Who needs to be involved?
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Place
Place is about the location of your organisation, but it is much more than that as well. It is
about both how your organisation reflects and responds to your surrounding communities,
and how it represents the diversity of those communities in its appearance, accessibility
and overall design.
Competency Item
Always Sometimes
3
4
Rarely Never
2
1
Don’t
Know
0
Score
1. Does your organisation
regularly collect data
about the communities
represented in its
catchment area(s)?
2. Does your organisation
target community events
and activities to inform
the community of its
services?
3. Does your organisation
target specific
cultural/language groups
or communities relevant
to your catchment
area(s)?
4. Does your organisation
reflect the diversity of the
people it serves and
employs in its visible
appearance (e.g. signage,
images, pictures etc.)?
5. Are your organisation’s
premises accessible to
everyone?
Total
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/20
Place
1. Why did you give your organisation that rating?
2. What assumptions were you making?
3. What needs to happen next?
4. Who needs to be involved?
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Personal
The provision of all services is about relationships, relationships between clients and
providers, between staff and managers, and about leadership as a whole. Person centred
practice is also known as relationship centred practice, and for good reason. Understanding
how best to deliver a service to an individual or group must be based on a clear
understanding of the skills and capabilities of the people who provide that service.
Competency Item
Always Sometimes
3
4
Rarely Never
2
1
Don’t
Know
0
Score
1. Does your organisation
support non-English
language skills learning (e.g.
Auslan) and use in the
workplace?
2. Does your organisation
support the development of
cultural competency by all of
its staff?
3. Does your organisation
provide specific training on
how to work with
interpreters?
4. Does your organisation
provide training on diversity
issues, cultural competency
or similar (e.g. access and
equity)?
5. Does your organisation treat
all of its clients with
appropriate respect and
courtesy?
Total
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/20
Personal
1. Why did you give your organisation that rating?
2. What assumptions were you making?
3. What needs to happen next?
4. Who needs to be involved?
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Philosophy
Disability services more than any other sector is aware of the importance of values to the
way in which organisations approach their work. In this section we will ask you to reflect
on the alignment of your organisations’ values and the day to day practice of staff at every
level.
Competency Item
Always Sometimes
3
4
Rarely Never
2
1
Don’t
Know
0
Score
1. Are diversity issues
embedded in your
values, mission and/or
vision statements?
2. Are your organisation’s
practices consistent with
these values?
3. Does your Board,
executive and senior
staff reflect the diversity
of your existing and
potential clients?
4. Does your organisation
explicitly acknowledge
the diversity of its
clients?
5. Does your organisation
explicitly acknowledge
the diversity of its staff?
Total
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/20
Philosophy
1. Why did you give your organisation that rating?
2. What assumptions were you making?
3. What needs to happen next?
4. Who needs to be involved?
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Policy
Policy is one of the great levers for organisational change and improvement. It sets out
publicly the commitments and expectations of the organisation, and enables both internal
and external stakeholders to assess just how successful the organisation is in meeting those
commitments.
Competency Item
Always
4
Sometimes
3
Rarely
2
Never
1
Don’t
Know
0
Score
1. Does your
organisation have
specific policies in
place that address
cultural
competency
concerns
(including culture,
language, religion,
dietary needs) of
both clients and
staff?
2. Does the policy
review process
identify how well
the policy reflects
cultural
competency
principles?
3. Does your
organisation have
a policy of
outreach to diverse
communities?
4. Do your clients and
their communities
have input into
your policy
development
processes?
5. Does your
organisation have
an
antidiscrimination
policy in place?
Total
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/20
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Policy
1. Why did you give your organisation that rating?
2. What assumptions were you making?
3. What needs to happen next?
4. Who needs to be involved?
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Planning
Recognition of diversity – both within your organisation’s staff and their existing and
potential client groups, provides the framework for achieving and assessing the best
possible outcomes for all parties involved. The CDCF enables organisations to start to
integrate diversity goals from the start of each planning cycle, and to assess and celebrate
achievements and outcomes, including increased client and staff satisfaction and retention.
Competency Item
Always
4
Sometimes
3
Rarely
Never
2
1
Don’t
Know
0
Score
1. Does your organisation
have a range of short and
long-term planning
processes in place to
address the needs of a
diverse client and staff
groups?
2. Do these planning
processes identify and
budget for diversity as a
key issue for client
service?
3. Do these planning
processes identify
diversity as a key issue
for workforce
recruitment and
retention?
4. Does your organisation’s
leadership team drive the
inclusion of diversity in
these planning
processes?
5. Does your organisation
monitor the effects of its
planning processes on all
clients and staff?
Total
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/20
Planning
1. Why did you give your organisation that rating?
2. What assumptions were you making?
3. What needs to happen next?
4. Who needs to be involved?
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Personnel
Organisations are about their people. Recruiting and retaining the best possible staff
requires a clear understanding and an established process for acknowledging the
capabilities of individuals and assistance for their continued development.
Competency Item
Always
4
Sometimes
3
Rarely
Never
2
1
Don’t
Know
0
Score
1. Does your organisation
have employees (and
volunteers if recruited)
from a diverse range of
backgrounds?
2. Does your organisation
employ staff who reflect
your current/potential
clients and community
profile?
3. Are people with
disabilities and CALD
backgrounds employed
at all levels within the
organisation?
4. Are the interpreters
your organisation uses
trained in disability
concepts and issues?
5. Do all staff position
descriptions identify
responsibility for
implementing culturally
responsive/culturally
competent practices?
Total
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/20
Personnel
1. Why did you give your organisation that rating?
2. What assumptions were you making?
3. What needs to happen next?
4. Who needs to be involved?
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Practice
Clients experience organisations through their day to day interactions with staff. This
interaction can be understood as the daily practice of professionals, staff, managers, leaders
and volunteers. In this section we will ask you to reflect on your current practices in
relation to your existing and potential client groups.
Competency Item
Always
4
Sometimes
3
Rarely
Never
2
1
Don’t
Know
0
Score
1. Would you describe the
staff in your
organisation as
culturally competent?
2. Is cultural competency
included in job
advertisements for your
organisation?
3. Are the cultural
competence and
language skills of staff
assessed as part of their
performance
indicators?
4. Are cultural competence
and/or language skills,
promoted or rewarded
in your organisation?
5. Is your organisation a
culturally safe place for
staff, clients, carers and
volunteers?
Total
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/20
Practice
1. Why did you give your organisation that rating?
2. What assumptions were you making?
3. What needs to happen next?
4. Who needs to be involved?
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Programs
While not all organisations have programs, most have organised their delivery around key
service points. In this section we will ask you to consider how closely your programs match
your current or potential client groups, and what you could do to improve that alignment.
Competency Item
Always
4
Sometimes
3
Rarely
Never
2
1
Don’t
Know
0
Score
1. Does the range of
programs your
organisation provides
meet the needs of all
existing clients?
2. Does your organisation
review its programs
regularly to assess their
relevance to existing
and potential clients
groups?
3. Does your organisation
have mechanisms in
place to identify and
assess the needs of all
your clients?
4. Does your organisation
involve a wide range of
clients in your program
design processes?
5. Does your organisation
advertise your
programs, services and
products through a
wide range of
community, voluntary
and other relevant
organisations?
Total
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/20
Programs
1. Why did you give your organisation that rating?
2. What assumptions were you making?
3. What needs to happen next?
4. Who needs to be involved?
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Products
All organisations have tangible outputs from their work, whether these are brochures,
websites or other products. Whether these reflect or represent the communities they do or
could service has significant, but often hidden, implications in terms of client outcomes and
satisfaction.
Competency Item
Always
4
Sometimes
3
Rarely
2
Never
1
Don’t
Know
0
Score
1. Do you know if your
organisation’s
products and
services are relevant
to a diverse range of
existing and
potential clients?
2. Does your
organisation involve
a diverse range of
people directly in
new product and
service design
processes?
3. Do your products
reflect the range of
existing and
potential clients in
their design (e.g.
language,
communication
modes)?
4. Does your
organisation
regularly evaluate
its products and
services with input
from a diverse range
of clients and
communities?
5. Are your
organisation’s
communication
strategies and
processes inclusive?
/20
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Products
1. Why did you give your organisation that rating?
2. What assumptions were you making?
3. What needs to happen next?
4. Who needs to be involved?
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Scoring tool
Population
Score
Score 0 – 5:
Score 6 -10:
Score 1015:
Score 15 20:
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Your organisation has commenced its journey into culturally
competency service provision by utilizing this tool. Understanding your
existing and potential clientele and staff and their needs and concerns is
the foundation of all effective planning and service delivery. You need to
review carefully why it is that you are currently unable to either answer
these key questions, or never undertake these tasks at all. Integration of
this information in your strategic and organizational planning will make
all the difference.
Your organisations is developing an understanding of your internal and
external stakeholders. Clearly some aspects are better developed than
others. Perhaps you have a good idea of your clients, but less knowledge
of your staff, or maybe the opposite is true. Either way, it is important to
have a comprehensive understanding of your community in all senses of
the word. Without understanding your current or potential clientele
strategic planning will be ineffective at worst or “hit and miss” at best.
Without understanding your staff, you may be underutilizing the skills
of your greatest resource.
Your organisation has develop a level of cultural competence. In order to
move to the next stage you need to consider questions associated with
this this element more carefully. Why did you give your organisation the
rating you did? What are the areas you were prompted to consider when
you went through the checklist? What in particular did you think needed
improving? What assumptions were you making in terms of your highest
or lowest scoring areas? How up to date or relevant are your current
sources of information on your clients? How can you test these
assumptions?
This band indicates a level of confidence with regards to cultural
competence. In order to increase or maintain your scores at this level,
the key organisational focus needs to be one of continuous quality
improvement. Developing and maintaining a high score is always
dependent on the embedding of cultural diversity principles within and
across the organisation. This in turn depends on strong leadership,
constant consultation and dialogue with clients and staff, organisational
agility in response to demographic (and workforce) changes and
funding opportunities, skilled and responsive staff, and genuine
community consultation. The questions are this level are how can you
benchmark or test your ratings and what needs to happen next?
Place
Score
Score 0 – 5:
Your organisation’s understanding of the importance of place is closely
linked you your understanding of the demographic profiles of your
current and potential clientele. In order to develop your understanding
of CALD client groups it is important that you consider the three
dimensions of community: community as place (ie which CALD
communities live in your geographic catchment areas); community as
relationships (ie how well established or close knit the communities you
want to service are, and what types of social, cultural and economic
capital they have); and community as organisation (what types of
organisations currently support people from the communities you are
trying to reach and how closely linked in people with disabilities are to
those, or other community organisations).
Score 6 -10: Your organisation is developing an understanding of the importance of
place in the delivery of services. Typically at this level you will know
about some of the CALD communities who do or could use your services.
In order to expand this knowledge, you need to think about a process of
active outreach. However, before you do, you need to consider what will
happen if you are successful. Do you have staff in place that can ensure
that the clients and communities whom you wish to attract will find your
organisational accessible and appropriate?
Score 10- 15: At this level, you should have already established the groundwork in
terms of understanding and communicating with CALD clients. Perhaps
you have workers from CALD background, and as a result you have
attracted clients from the same communities. Perhaps you have links
with specific CALD organisations or services. You may have access to or
developed some resources for some communities. All of this is
necessary. However, the next step is to review and test your current
approaches and strategies against the perceptions of current and
potential clients.
Score 15 -20: At this level your organisation should be engaging in a process of critical
reflection regarding the assumptions it makes about the way it presents
itself, in all senses of the word, to CALD communities. Which
communities are you engaging, and which are you missing? Have you
reviewed the appropriateness of your translated materials for both
scope and content? Who communicates with the CALD communities
(only your CALD workers?) and at what level? How engaged are
members of CALD communities in your organisation – and how much
input do they have in how your organisation looks and feels?
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Personal
Score
Score 0 – 5:
Score 6 -10:
Score 10- 15:
Score 15 -20:
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Service delivery in the disability sector is all about relationships.
Current research into excellence in organisations indicates that
organisational culture – a strong predictor of organisational success – is
created in the day to day dialogues that occur at every level and in every
place within a community. If you score places you within this band you
might be in a position where you are beginning to think about diversity
for the first time, or you might have engaged in only a limited way in the
past. The two basic keys to good professional relationships within a
service setting are effective communication and respect. At this level the
questions to consider is why did we give our organisation this score?
How does the score differ, if at all, between staff, volunteers. managers
and existing clients?
Organisational capacity is built on professional capacity. Understanding
the level of cultural competency required by the personnel (staff and
volunteers of your organisation) is fundamental to its development as a
cultural competent provider. At this level organisations should consider
a review of existing staff skills and an alignment between those skills
and current provision of cultural diversity training. What and who are
your organisation’s priorities (both in terms of staff and clients)? What
assumptions are you making about the competency of your staff and the
way they deliver services? Are you under or overestimating their skills
and capabilities?
Having reached a certain level of professional and organisational
capability with regards to cultural competence, organisations at this
level need to consider the ways in which they acknowledge and reward
that competence. Higher level cultural competency skills include an
organisation’s ability to engage with and respond to the needs of clients
and communities in a way which is respectful of culture, but which
recognises and supports individual choices and perspectives.
At this level, your organisation should have a systematic and universal
plan for the development of cultural competence in staff and volunteers,
along with a clear set of performance indicators. Do you have a learning
plan for individual staff that encourages and supports cultural
competence? Are cultural competence skills reviewed as part of annual
performance reviews? What procedures do you have in place if you
identify incidents of discrimination or disrespect by or towards staff or
clients?
Philosophy
Score
Score 0 – 5:
Score 6 -10:
Score 10- 15:
Score 15 -20:
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Disability services, by the nature of their function and because of their
history have in general a greater awareness than other types of services
of the philosophical values which underpin our work. At this level, your
scores indicate that you may not as yet have had the need to consider
how diversity aligns with those values. At this level, the key is to spend
some time, possibility with a diversity facilitator, considering the ways
in which you review and assess your current organisational vision,
mission and values statements and how they might incorporate a
diversity perspective.
Having acknowledged diversity, the next step is to formally incorporate
this into all your key documents. To achieve this score your
organisation’s commitment to cultural competency should be evident in
your values, strategic plans, policies and procedures.
At this level your organisation needs move beyond recognition of
diversity to its actual application. It is one thing to say your organisation
values diversity, it is another to demonstrate and pursue it. At this level
you need to be testing the strength of your commitment by reviewing
the alignment between your client and staff profiles, by considering the
ways in which clients and communities from CALD have direct input into
your planning and decision making processes.
The alignment of an organisation’s commitment to diversity has to run
the length of the organisation. At this level, key questions relate to the
representation of CALD people on the organisation’s highest decision
making bodies and positions, including outreach to new and emerging
communities. It includes constant monitoring of the design and delivery
of services in alignment with the principles of the CDCF and an active
valuing of diversity as an organisational asset.
Policy
Score
Score 0 – 5:
Score 6 -10:
Score 10- 15:
Score 15 -20:
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Policy is essential for an organisational level commitment to cultural
diversity. At this level you need to review your current policies and
compare them with the profiles of your clients and your staff. Are there
any areas or issues which require new or additional policies relating to
diversity issues? When were your substantive policies last reviewed and
by whom? Have they ever been reviewed for a diversity perspective?
At the most direct level any organisation in Australia today needs to have
policies addressing key diversity issues (for example, on the use of
interpreters or bilingual workers, anti-discrimination and so on). At this
level you should be aware of your basic policies and whether you have,
or don’t have, ones specifically addressing diversity issues. If you don’t,
then this is place to start.
At this level you should be considering a process of ongoing review and
integration of diversity issues across all your policies. At this level you
should be starting to think about the inclusion of diversity at a deeper
level. Your organisation needs to start considering if and how diversity
issues are integrated across all your organisation’s policies, and how
you will know what needs to be included.
Having considered the basics, the next step in the integration of
diversity across policies is to consider a process of development and
review which includes the active involvement of clients and staff. How
do you develop your policies? Who is involved? How do you measure
their effectiveness? Does that measure include information about
potential variable or unintended consequences for CALD or other
groups (of both clients and or staff) as a result of your policy?
Planning
Score
Score 0 – 5:
Score 6 -10:
Score 10- 15:
Score 15 -20:
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Planning like policy is built upon an understanding of the other
elements of the CDCF. Planning has to be based on a clear
understanding of the existing and potential client base, and how this
relates to your workforce. Basic information on different CALD
communities and their profiles are available, however this information
is largely generic and caution needs to be considered when planning
on this basis as disability profiles may not match those of the general
population or even those of the CALD community to which the people
with disabilities may choose to belong. Developing a broad
understanding of the communities you want to integrate in your
planning process is necessary, but not sufficient. However, it is a great
place to start.
At this level, your understanding of how to integrate diversity
perspectives in planning is deepening. At this point contact with
community organisations and key healthcare and service may be
useful. Part of the planning process needs to be the active engagement
of clients and staff from diverse backgrounds, with a recognition,
however that that engagement may need to take a variety of forms.
Having considered the basics of planning in place, at this level you
need to be considering expanding your organisation’s planning
processes. Has your response to planning around issues of diversity
been largely reactive? Have you reached out only to the largest or most
obvious groups? In terms of staff, have you operated on the basis of
minimal rather than maximum benefit from cultural competency
skills? Are diversity issues (for example a budget for the use of
interpreters) viewed only as an add-on or a luxury item?
Having considered the basics, the next step in the integration of
diversity across all planning processes. Do you have a diversity
champion or champions in your organisation whose explicit role it is to
ensure diversity perspectives – and associated resources – are
integrated at all stages of the planning process. Do you monitor the
impact of your existing planning processes for CALD clients and staff
Have you tested your assumptions about the need for specific
resources or the benefits they might provide? Are there any groups
that are systematically and or inadvertently excluded due to planning
decisions and processes?
Personnel
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While the success of diversity initiatives is not entirely dependent on
having staff from diverse backgrounds, research evidence
(unsurprisingly shows that employing people from specific
backgrounds tends to attract clients from similar backgrounds. At this
level, you should be developing a clearer picture of the profile of staff,
including hidden skills and capabilities that can contribute to culturally
appropriate service provision.
Having understood the importance of culturally competent staff, at this
level you need to consider the ways in which your staff profile do or do
not match those of your current or intended client profiles. The
presence of some staff from diverse backgrounds may be useful, but to
gain maximum benefit for your organisation you need to consider where
those staff are located (are they only short term, casual employees) and
how they are utilised.
At this level you should be considering a proactive approach to
personnel planning. This includes active recruitment of staff to who
have experience in working with clients from CALD backgrounds,
identification of growing client groups that could be engaged through
specialist bilingual staff, a systematic approach to engaging not only
CALD people but people from CALD backgrounds with disability across
your service.
At this level you should have a staged plan for the employment and
development of staff from CALD backgrounds as well as people with
disabilities. Your organisation should be committed to the use of
professional interpreters, with a deep understanding of disability
issues. Your staff profile should not only mirror your client groups – but
be used as a way of attracting new groups. Your workplace should be a
positive workplace environment, where diversity is valued and
encouraged, and where additional skills development is supported for
individuals of all backgrounds and at all levels of the organisation.
Practice
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The employment of personnel with knowledge and experience of CALD
communities in only one strategy towards culturally competent
practice. An holistic organisational view of cultural competence
requires this skill across all staff, and not just specialist staff. At this
level, you need to review the basic skills of your staff, and learn more
about their knowledge of culturally competent practice in general and
in relation to your specific client group in particular.
At this level, you should be considering how the practice of staff
members could be enhanced and rewarded. You need to review whether
your staff have the capabilities and resources to ensure that your
services are accessible, equitable and appropriate, how you know this is
the case, and what else needs to happen in order for this to occur.
At this point, your job advertisements as well as your position
descriptions should include cultural competence as one of the criteria
for employment. You need to have an up to date register of cultural and
language skills across the organisation, and to be developing protocols
and policies for their use to ensure that no individual staff member is
over or underutilised. Your organisation needs to have, or to be
developing a mechanism for supporting, reviewing and rewarding the
cultural competence of staff.
At this level your organisation should be striving to be a culturally safe
place for all individuals. This means that the environment as a whole is
reflective of the community you serve and the community at large. It
means that your organisation should respond proactively to diversity
from a positive, rather than negative perspective. It means that diversity
is no longer relegated to special days, cultural events or specific foods,
but rather is based on an approach of openness, respect and dialogue
across all individuals and groups in your organisation.
Programs
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Products
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Understanding the implication of program delivery for CALD
communities starts, but cannot end with an understanding of issues of
access. At this level you need to consider who accesses which programs,
services, units or teams in your organisation, and who does not. You
need to begin to explore whether this usage comes about because of
your client group, or whether, through location, information or design
you are wittingly or unwittingly excluding potential clients and staff.
Having considered the basic issues of alignment between service type
and client group, at this level your organisation needs to review the
alignment between current and optimal service provision for all clients.
This means engaging in a process of consultation and fact checking that
explores your assumptions about how services are delivered compared
to how existing and potential clients think they should – or could – be
delivered.
At this level you should be considering the breadth and the depth of your
services. Is their potential to provide or to collaborate in the provision
of specialist CALD services? Are there new programs or markets needed
to meet the needs of emerging communities? You you need to review
your “traditional” methods of identifying and assessing clients to make
them more targeted and culturally appropriate? Are you targeting your
marketing to the right communities in the right way?
Once you have established the benchmark for your services, you need to
examine the way in which they are designed and delivered in greater
detail. Your organisation needs to consider co-design, not just with the
most engaged or most available clients and communities, but with those
individuals and groups who are can remain voiceless not only in the
service setting but even in their own communities.
Score
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Score 6 -10:
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Score 15 -20:
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Your organisation is visible not just in what it does, and who it employs,
but also in what it produces. At this level you need to review your
current materials to see if they match the profile of your existing or
potential client groups, and start examining the question of why you
gave your organisation this score, and what needs to happen next if you
are to engage with cultural diversity.
Once you have reviewed the basics, you need to consider which
communities you are missing out on, and what the best approaches to
information are for those communities. As this point, issues of
accessibility and design become important. The images people see on
your materials whether they are promotional, informational, or
educational matter. So too are they people they see promoting your
organisation. If you want to expand your client base you need to ensure
that the information you provide is appropriate, accessible, and
engaging to them, rather than to a generic client.
At this level you should have considered all the basics, including
whether you have a range of informational or educational approaches
depending on your client group (paper, audio, audio-visual, online, etc),
in which languages, and directed through what means (community
papers, community organisations, general practitioners, pharmacists,
specialist services).
At this last level, you need to go beyond the process of translation into
the field of co-design. Your organisation needs to consider how all your
materials are produced, for whom, and in what way. You need to
consider market segments, including children, young adults, parents
and carers as appropriate. You need to review and reflect on the
inherent messages all your communications provide – not just those
targeted to CALD communities. At this point you should also be
considering evaluating all existing materials for inclusiveness.
This graph is a simple visual presentation of your score in the assessment tool. Plot each
score on the axis of the corresponding term and join them together with a line. The surface
area you create will give you an overall impression of how far along the journey of cultural
competence you currently are.
The ultimate is not to produce a “perfect” score but to identify areas, rather than single
elements, for improvement.
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For more information please contact:
Hamish Robertson
Managing Director
Georiography P/L
Mob: 0425 237 942
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.georiography.com
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