Multicultural Summit ‘09Cultural Competency and Keeping Children Safe

 Fiona McColl – PeakCare Queensland Inc.

Exploring the Implications of Cultural Competency in Child Protection Assessment and Intervention with Culturally and

Linguistically Diverse Communities and Families.  

  Culture Matters is an ongoing, three phase, research project which

is examining the inter-relationship between culture and current child protection policies and practices in the Queensland non-government and government sectors.

 

Culture Matters

CaLD communities and families

Federal Initiatives

Queensland State Initiatives

Government Services

Non-Government Organizations

Direct frontline practice

Collaborative and Holistic

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) is a popularly used term to denote communities and individuals who identify themselves as having a culture, distinct from that of the country in which they reside. Not all people identify with the term CaLD, and may more readily identify with other terms such non-English speaking, bi or trans-cultural, etc.

Definition of CaLD

Child protection is frequently seen to be tertiary interventions such as notifications, assessments and removal of children. Child protection will be used contextually for this project to mean all supports and services provided to vulnerable children and their families, whether the resources are preventative, early intervention, secondary or tertiary.

Definition of Child Protection

Multicultural Child Protection FrameworkChild Protection Framework

UN Convention of the Child “Rights of the Child” (Human Rights Framework)

The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children

The Queensland Compact

A having the awareness, knowledge, and skill, necessary to perform a myriad of tasks that recognises the diverse worldviews and practices of oneself and of clients from different ethnic/cultural backgrounds. (New Zealand Psychologists Board, 2006)

The ability of individuals and systems to respond respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, classes, races, ethnic backgrounds and religions in a manner that recognises, affirms, and values the cultural differences and similarities and the worth of individuals, families, and communities and protects and preserves the dignity of each. (Seattle King Country Dept of Public Health, 1994)

Definition of Cultural Competency

Phase One

consist of the development and piloting of tool

Phase Three • e

xplore the experiences of CaLD families and children with child protection assessment and intervention

Three Phase

The project consists of the development and piloting of a tool, which measure cultural competency of non-governmnet organisations and practitioners and their capacity to deliver supports and services to CaLD children and families.

Phase One if the Culture Matters Project grew out of a number of concerns expressed by people who regularly work with CaLD communities and families in both the non-government and Government sectors.

Phase One

Phase two will look to undertake a series of ‘guided conversations’ with Queensland CaLD communities about ‘Child Safety’ as perceived at a state and national level.

This component of the research project will attempt to create opportunity for CaLD communities to contribute their experiences and views about how the Australian context of child safety/protection may be impacted by diversity of cultural orientation.

Phase Two

The project seeks to explore how culture and the perception of culture, may shape the experiences of CaLD families and children with child protection assessment and intervention.

This phase of the project will focus on the direct experiences of CaLD families who have been involved with child protection notifications and investigations.

Phase Three

cultural competency tools

provide a considered measure of cultural competency at an organizational and management level

explore cultural competency at a practice level

Survey

In total 68 individual participants participated in the pilot process. 4 non-government organisations and various organisations from Cairns.

Participants

• Centre Against Sexual Violence

• Inala Youth Service

• Boystown

• QPASTT (Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma)

• Cairns Regional Council• Tableland Women’s Centre• YETI (Youth Empowered Towards Independence)• Women’s Centre Cairns• Ruth’s Women’s Shelter• Relationship Australia• Migrant Settlement Service• Department of Communities• Lifeline• Cassowary Coast Regional Council• Innisfail Youth & Family Care• Kullun Youth Service• Department of Education and Training• Marlin Coast Neighbour Centre• CRDVS (Caboolture Regional Domestic Violence Service)• Community Services Tablelands

Others Cairns

Findings…

Never A few times each year About once a month

About once a week Everyday

3

9 9 10

32

How often do you come into contact with CALD clients through your current work?

We can see that roughly half of our survey participants identify themselves as working with CaLD children and families on a daily basis.

Qualitative questions clarified this data. Participants identified that as part of routine induction, CaLD issues were identified, however, very little specific information was provided that would

assist participants to better work with CaLD service users.

I have not had any traning

Introductory Intermediate Advanced No Answer

25

17

118

2

How advanced was the training you received.

Approximately 70% of participants identified that they had received at least some training in working with CaLD children and families, yet in a second question, many of the participants refined their answers to indicate that the training did not occur, was ‘surface level’ or only somewhat met their needs whilst working with CaLD

service users.

Never 1-5 times each year

6-12 times a year

1-5 times each month

1-5 times a week

Everyday

Series1 28 16 5 5 4 5

2.5

7.5

12.5

17.5

22.5

27.5

Approximately how often do you use an interpreter in your work?

Many participants identified that the use of interpreters was sporadic. There were a variety of qualitative responses which identified potential barriers. Some of these included:

Cost; Insufficient time to locate and use an interpreter; Inability to locate interpreters who spoke the correct language or dialect Resistance from service users; Feeling uncomfortable about working with interpreters .

The relationship between cultural competency training and ability to locate personal culture in a practice context.

Our findings showed evidence that neither educational attainment or cultural competency training was a guarantee that practitioners would be able to discuss culture, (their own, or their clients) in a manner that would facilitate cultural

competency.

1 2 3 4 5 6 70

5

10

15

20

Ability to locate personal culture in a practice context.

Series1

Series2

Series3

Phd/M

aste

rs

Bache

lor D

egre

e

TAFE Dipl

oma

Certif

icate

High S

choo

l

Other

8

28

15

10

3 4

Educational Attainment

Cultur

ally

Compe

tent

ser

vice

Excell

ent e

ngag

emen

t

Satisf

acto

ry e

ngag

emen

t

Mini

mal

enga

gem

ent

Unsat

isfac

tory

eng

agem

ent

Inco

mple

te

79

19

15

18

Cultural competency in practice.

Relationship between educational attainment and cultural competency.

It is often supposed that if a child protection worker has a higher level of education, cultural competency training is unnecessary.

One of the interesting findings in our pilot was minimal evidence that educational attainment was an indicator of the ability to practice in a culturally competent manner. For instance 63% of respondents who were identified as having

minimal cultural competency in their practice had a Bachelors degree or higher.

Things to ponder…..

If educational attainment cannot ensure cultural competency…Advcocy with education to review curriculum for cultural competency..

Rethinking the necessity of cultural competency training…

Phd/M

aste

rs

Bache

lor D

egre

e

TAFE Dipl

oma

Certif

icate

High S

choo

l

Other

8

28

15

10

3 4

Educational Attainment

I have not had any training

It did not meet my needs

It somewhat met my needs

It adequately met my needs

It surpasses my training needs

No Answer

24

3

10

20

42

How well did the training you receive meet your needs in learning how to work with CALD clients?

Excellent Satisfactory Minimal Poor No answer0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Ability to locate personal culture in a practice context.

(Sample size of 41 respondents)