Defining important concepts in cultural and linguistically responsive services for families and youth. April 2013

1. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
KEY CONCEPTS FOR CULTURALLY AND
LINGUISTICALLY APPROPRIATE FAMILY
STRENGTHENING PROGRAMS
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2. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Discussion
• Important definitions
• Strategies for engagement and
outreach
• Office of Cultural & Linguistic
Competence
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3. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
What Is Culture?
Culture can be defined
culture in the broad sense,
as there are other things in
addition to race, language,
and ethnicity that contribute
to a person’s sense of self in
relation to others. Multiple
memberships in these
subgroups contribute to an
individual’s personal identity
and sense of own “culture”.
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4. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Culture as an Iceberg
Visible Part:
Age
Race
Gender
Language
Physical abilities
Cultural artifacts
Hidden Part:
notions of modesty
conception of beauty
ideals
body language
Attitudes toward elders
governing child-raising
definition of sin
relationships to animals
tempo of work
patterns of superior / subordinate relationships
concepts of humor
eye contact behavior
social interaction
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5. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Dimensions of Culture
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6. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Culture Gives Context,
Meaning, and Direction
• It is a filter through which people
process their experiences and events
of their lives.
• It influences people’s values, actions,
and expectations of themselves.
• It impacts people’s perceptions and
expectations of others.
• It informs our understanding of when
support is needed.
• It influences how and from whom we
seek support.
• It influences how we attempt to
provide support.
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7. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Why is Cultural Competence
Important ?
Legal Requirements
• Title IV of the US Civil Rights Act
• Executive Order 13166
• CLAS Standards
Research on Health Disparities
• US Surgeon General Report on Disparities in
Mental Health
• Institute of Medicine’s “Unequal Treatment
Report”
• President’s New Freedom Commission Report
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8. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Cultural Competency
Cultural
Competence
Value
Diversity
Conduct Self
Assessment
Manage the
Dynamics of
difference
Acquire and
institutionalize
cultural
knowledge
Adapt to the
cultural
Contexts of
your
community
And incorporate the above in all aspects of policy making, administration, practice, service
delivery and involve systematically consumers, key stakeholders and communities.
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9. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Linguistic Competency
Linguistic competence - The
capacity of an organization and its
personnel to communicate
effectively, and convey information
in a manner that is easily
understood by diverse audiences
including persons of limited English
proficiency, those who have low
literacy skills or are not literate, and
individuals with disabilities.
Linguistic competency requires
organizational and provider capacity
to respond effectively to the health
literacy needs of populations
served.
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10. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
What makes an organizations
culturally competent?
Cultural Competence
Do our practices inhibit or prohibit engagement?
Do we seek meaningful inclusion of cultural considerations
throughout the planning process?
Do we promote meaningful Family involvement?
Do we get regular feedback from service users?
Do we have ONGOING training that develops a workforce able to
work cross culturally?
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11. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
What makes an organization
linguistically competent?
Linguistic
Competence
Offer TTY
and other
assistive
technology
devices
Offer materials
in
Alternative
formats
(e.g.,
audiotape,
Braille,
enlarged print )
Use qualified
translation
Services
especially for
legally
binding
documents
Print
materials in
Easy to read,
low literacy,
picture and
symbol
formats
Utilize ethnic
media
in languages
for outreach
to
diverse
communities
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12. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Community Engagement Model
Minnesota Department of Human Services
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13. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Organizational Self
Assessment
• Is “partnership” in the
mission?
• Is it mentioned in the values?
• Operating procedures:
– Who represents the
organization in
partnerships?
– Who decides in which
partnerships the
organization may
engage?
Adapted from Cornelia Ramsey, PhD, MSPH, Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia
Commonwealth University
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14. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Building Relationships
Partnerships combine
the knowledge,
wisdom and
experience of
complementary
community agencies
to solve shared
health, social and
economic challenges.
Minnesota Department of Human Services
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15. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Communication
Communication should be interactive
not about “selling”
The outcome may include attracting
new staff and board members,
increasing referrals, attracting new
participants, increasing your
volunteer capacity or getting into new
geographic markets.
Writing, speaking, connecting with
people one-on-one – are all effective
communication methods that are
relatively inexpensive.
Minnesota Department of Human Services
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16. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Barriers leading to nonparticipation
1. Organizational
approach to inclusion,
diversity, openness
2. History & how it
influences the
present
3. Individual
experiences and
perceptions
Adapted from Cornelia Ramsey, PhD, MSPH, Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia
Commonwealth University
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17. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Ask & Listen!
• Ask how is the community voice integrated into
strategies?
– Logistics - who, what, where, when, how
– Philosophy - both sides compromise, communities
want to be heard, communities are forgiving, willing to
compromise
• Ask what do non-participants tell you?
– Issues of recruitment vs. retention – understand the
differences
Adapted from Cornelia Ramsey, PhD, MSPH, Center for Clinical and Translational
Research, Virginia Commonwealth University
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18. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Community Engagement
Goals
• Learn about the specific cultures
present in the community as well as
the needs and issues that impact
them
• Engage cultural brokers as a way to
introduce you to key community
informants
• Be flexible with your agenda and
expectations
• Ensure that partnerships are
reciprocal.
• Be present in the community
• Understand that relationships take
time to be built and that just one
negative event can destroy them
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19. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
OCLC Goal
Support a system that delivers services in a culturally
and linguistically sensitive manner to consumers that
are receiving service in Virginia’s mental health,
intellectual disabilities, and substance use disorder
and prevention system which will aid and enhance the
opportunities for recovery and person-centered
practices.
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20. DBHDS
OCLC- What we do
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Language
Services
Planning at
Secretariat,
Agency, and
Local level
CLC
Resource
Development
OCLC
Workforce
Diversity, and
Inclusion
(Recruitment,
Retention, and
Succession)
Organization
al CLC
Training and
Consultation
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21. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Office of CLC - What We Do…
Training and Consultation
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cultural and linguistic competence planning
Cross cultural communication and conflict resolution
Working with interpreters
Attracting and retaining a diverse workforce
Working with diverse populations
Cultural competence in new employee orientation
Interpreter training for bilingual staff
Adaptations to evidence-based practices
CLC policy development and evaluation
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22. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Office of CLC - What We Do…
• Partner with stakeholders to provide regional training and
technical assistance on implementation of cultural and linguistic
competent activities and services.
• Provide nominations to expand the diversity of boards and
advisory committees
• Support organizations when developing new programs and
initiatives to ensure best practices around working with
communities of color are considered.
• Provide educational materials to stakeholders on the CLAS
Standards.
• Develop mechanisms to collect and analyze data related to
CLC.
• Support stakeholders with special projects related to limited
English proficient consumers and communities.
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23. DBHDS
Virginia Department of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services
Contact Us
1220 Bank Street Rm .433
Richmond, VA 23219
804.786.5872
cecily.rodriguez@dbhds.virginia.gov
Google Groups- “VA DBHDS Cultural and Linguistic Competence”
Facebook – Virginia Dept. of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
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