Cultural competence is a set of congruent behaviours, attitudes and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals; enabling that system, agency or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. (Cross et al, 1989) Why is...
Why is it important? By embedding cultural competence as a core value of the organisation, it can be incorporated into every aspect of service and workplace management. Leadership, investment and documentation Indicators Individuals at executive level have...
How to ensure that programmatic and operational plans address cultural competence issues, and how to assess the level cultural competence in these plans. Why is it important? Cultural competence in planning, monitoring and evaluation results in services that...
How to embed cultural competence within your organisation’s advisory bodies, policies, standards and goals. Why is it important? Cultural competence requires an organisation-wide approach to planning, implementing and evaluating services for clients of...
How to deliver or facilitate clinical, public health or health-related services in a culturally competent manner. Why is it important? Health services will be more effective if they acknowledge and work with clients’ cultural knowledge, prior experience and frames of...
How to equip staff members and other service providers with the requisite attitudes, knowledge and skills to deliver culturally competent services. Why is it important? Cultural competence is not a given; it requires all staff to have access to and support for ongoing...
How to identify and allocate the resources needed to plan, deliver and evaluate culturally competent services. Why is it important? Culturally competence requires financial and personnel resources. Without a supportive infrastructure, it may be considered an add-on...
How to support the effective and culturally appropriate exchange of information between your organisation and its clients, and between staff members. Why is it important? Culturally competent communication is critical for all aspects of service delivery. It can...
