A community health service decided to complete the Cultural Competence Organisational Assessment to review how they were responding to the needs of their local multicultural communities. The organisation brought together program managers from across the organisation to reflect on current practices.
They approached the tool not as an audit but as a snapshot of where they were at – an opportunity for honest reflection without an onerous time commitment or the burden of collecting extensive evidence. Completing the tool as a team encouraged shared ownership and open dialogue. When the results came in, they were encouraged to see that their values and commitment to inclusion were strong. Diversity and equity were clearly embedded in their language, vision and intent.
But they also uncovered important gaps between intention and action.
Most notably, their data collection practices were inconsistent. Key demographic data such as language spoken, country of birth and refugee status wasn’t being reliably captured across programs. This meant they were missing critical information needed to identify service gaps or monitor health outcomes for multicultural communities. Without this, it was difficult to compare service use against local population needs or assess equity in access.
They also discovered they had limited processes for consulting communities, which meant service design may not have reflected the communities’ real needs and experienced. Stronger community engagement, including links with ethnic-specific organisations and leaders was identified as an urgent priority.
Another insight was the underuse of bilingual staff skills and a lack of multicultural community representation in governance and advisory structures. This reduced the organisation’s capacity to embed cultural insights into leadership and decision-making.
Utilising these findings, the team began developing an action plan to improve isolated areas and embed cultural competence into strategic priorities. The process gave them clarity, direction and momentum. It also signalled to the wider organisation that good intentions aren’t enough: cultural competence requires action, accountability and ongoing re-assessment.
To access the tools, go to: Cultural Competence Tools
