Implementing Cultural Competent Strategies

Below I’ve attached a paragraph that I wrote previously, in which I identified an agency/practice that could use strategies to enhance cultural competence.

For the areas of deficiencies I noted, utilize background material and/or external research explaining the strategies you would use and your plan to implement them, e.g., specialized training and development, etc.

FOR YOUR RESPONSE, USE IN-TEXT CITATIONS AND THE FOLLOWING REFERENCE AND/OR OTHER EXTERNAL REFERENCES

REFERENCES
Community Tool Box. (2018). Building culturally competent organizations. Retrieved from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/culturally-competent-organizations/main

Garrett, T. & Friedman, H.L. (2016). Incorporating culture in providing human services to youth. Organization Development Journal, 34(1), 67-79. Retrieved from ProQuest Central.

MCPSTV (2015). Building Cultural Competence [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6JtlHjN-pg (24:59)

National Association of Social Workers. (n.d.). Standards and indicators for cultural competence in social work practice. Retrieved from https://nlasw.ca/sites/default/files/inline-files/Cultural_Competency_Standards.pdf

Resources on Cultural Competency. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/section-223/cultural-competency/resources

S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Enhancing cultural competence in social services agencies: A promising approach to serving diverse children and families. Retrieved from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/brief_enhancing_cultural_competence_final_022114.pdf (Specifically p. 7)

ATTACHED PARAGRAPH

A considerable difference exists between cultural competence at the organizational or agency and individual level. Cultural competence denotes culturally diverse people’s capability to communicate and interact with each other effectively and encompasses crucial elements like developing a positive attitude, gaining knowledge, being aware of one’s view of the world, and appreciating people (Community tool Box,2018). At the agency level, everyone is involved, eliminating the need to assume guilt and place blame, allowing people to perform their duties effectively, and offering a diverse mix of diverse employees, affinity groups, and inclusive, fair policies in promotions and retention (Garrett & Friedman, 2016). For example, an organization focusing on the “how-to” way of policy alignment and goal practice exhibits instructional and signage in a language that one can comprehend while adheres to its cultural norms. However, individual-level cultural competence revolves around a sole person and focuses on leadership commitment and cross-cultural communication and skills, including inclusive decision making, beliefs, and values (Garrett & Friedman, 2016). For instance, this competence level enforces considerable knowledge of cross-cultural variations and personal stereotypes and biases awareness.

The current increase in diversity brings forth both challenges and opportunities for health care agencies to deliver and create culturally competent services. As a result, practices to promote cultural competency are in place to improve healthcare standards, putting an end to racial and ethnic health inequalities (Health Policy Institute, 2019). Of essence, providing adequate and appropriate coaching on cross-cultural health concerns and eliminating lingual and organizational barriers to individuals’ care steer agencies towards cultural competence. Besides, this practice stimulates superior care to all people regardless of their culture and allows practitioners to comfort patients and provide quality care. In the context of Human Services, this practice addresses the importance of diversity, appreciates the contribution of each culture, and power-sharing among different people, thus promoting equality and inclusion (Health Policy Institute, 2019). Arguably, cultural competence positively impacts the interaction between various diversified cultures, decreasing unwanted surprises that might slow down an organization and increase cooperation and trust.