The integration and transformation of knowledge, information, and data about individuals and groups of people into specific clinical standards, skills, service approaches, techniques, and marketing programs that match the individual’s culture and increase the quality and appropriateness of health care and outcomes
An awareness and acceptance of cultural differences, an awareness of one's own cultural values, an understanding of the "dynamics of difference" in the helping process, basic knowledge about the client's culture, and the ability to adapt practice skills to fit the client's cultural context.
A set of academic and interpersonal skills that allow individuals to increase their understanding and appreciation of cultural differences and similarities within, among, and between groups. This requires a willingness and ability to draw on knowledgeable persons of and from the community in developing focused interventions, communications, and other supports.
Help that is sensitive and responsive to cultural differences. Caregivers are aware of the impact of culture and possess skills to help provide services that respond appropriately to a person's unique cultural differences, including race and ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, or physical disability. They also adapt their skills to fit a family's values and customs.
Skills that help researchers to understand and appreciate cultural differences among different groups. Cultural competence requires that researchers draw on values and customs within the community they are studying and that they work with people of and from that community [Adapted from SAMHSA definition.
Is a developmental process that evolves over an extended period of time. Individuals, organizations, and systems are at various levels of awareness, knowledge and skills along the cultural competence continuum. It requires organizations to: Have a defined set of values and principles, and demonstrate behaviors, attitudes, policies, and structures that enable them to work effectively cross-culturally; Have the capacity to (1) value diversity, (2) conduct self-assessment, (3) manage the dynamics of difference, (4) acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge, and (5) adapt to the diversity and cultural contexts of communities they serve; Incorporate the above into all aspects of policymaking, administration, practice, and service delivery and systematically involve consumers, key stakeholders and communities. 9
Cultural competence is having the right policies, the knowledge and the skills to meet the needs and practices of people from different cultural backgrounds. Culture is often taken to include aspects such as lifestyle, dress, diet, hygiene, language including art and music and spiritual needs. Religious practices may cross cultural boundaries. A culturally competent service is a service which recognises and meets the diverse needs of people with different cultural backgrounds.
is recognition of and response to cultural concerns of ethnic and racial groups, including their histories, traditions, beliefs, and value systems. Cultural competence is one approach to helping mental health service systems and professionals create better services and ensure their adequate utilization by diverse populations. Cultural competence entails a set of behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system or agency or among professionals that enables that system, or agency or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. 19 D (Back to Top)
A set of congruent attitudes, behaviours, and policies that come together in an agency, system, or among professionals to work effectively in cross cultural situations.
A set of congruent behaviors, approaches, and policies in a system, agency, or among professionals that enable the system, agency, or professional group to work effectively in crosscultural situations; an ability to meet the needs of clients and patients from diverse cultural backgrounds.
In child care, caregivers have the skills to help provide services sensitive to a person's cultural background.
Help that is sensitive and responsive to cultural differences. Mental health professionals are aware of the impact of their own culture and possess skills that help them provide services that are culturally appropriate in responding to people's unique cultural differences, such as race and ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, or physical disability.
The design, implementation, and evaluation process that accounts for special issues of select population groups (ethnic and racial, linguistic) as well as differing educational levels and physical abilities.
A set of attitudes, behaviors and policies that integrates knowledge about groups of people into practices and standards to enhance the quality of services to all cultural groups being served.
Cultural competence is a term used for the ability of people of one culture to understand and feel comfortable with the cultures of other people. The term is fairly recent but is becoming widely used in the field of education and healthcare regulatory compliance within the United States, to discuss acceptance of persons from a wide array of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
