resources and tools

A commitment to cultural competence is a commitment to ongoing reflection, learning and action. These tools/resources are designed to support staff IN further professional development in the areas of cross cultural communication, understanding bias, and cultural competence.

What is Cultural Competence?
Developing Cultural Competence
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competence
Terminology
Resources for teaching academics
Resources for research academics

What is Cultural Competence?

The health sector has been the site of most work in the area of cultural competence and much of the literature and research in this area has been on the delivery of health care. While the focus is on health, many of the principles and frameworks can be applied to other organisations.

• The National Centre for Cultural Competence in the United States, is focussed on health care but does provide information on their Conceptual Frameworks / Models, Guiding Values and Principles
• The National Health and Medical Research Council has developed a guide to cultural competency in health in Australia.
• The Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria provides an excellent overview of cultural competence and its key elements.
• The Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council document ‘Principles and Practice of Cultural Competency’ has an excellent background chapter (chapter 3) on cultural competence.

Developing Cultural Competence

The following resource provides background but also examples of cultural competence and tools to help in the development of individual and organisational cultural competence.

• Flinders University has developed a Cultural Diversity and Inclusive Practice toolkit that has a range of resources to assist individuals and work units review and plan improvements in cultural competency
• Five Cross Cultural Capabilities for non-clinical staff, provides good background on cultural competence and useful questions to help assess the level of individual and organisational cultural competence. It was developed by Queensland Health.
• Understanding culture and organisational culture can assist in understanding some of the challenges of developing cultural competence. The article The Management of Organisational Culture is a good introduction to organisational culture and the challenges of creating change in organisations.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competence

• In 2011 Universities Australia and the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council collaborated to produce a comprehensive review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competence in the Higher Education Sector in Australia.
• Using language that is appropriate and respectful is important when speaking about or to anyone. NSW Health has created the document Communicating Positively that looks at appropriate and respectful language to use when speaking about or to Aboriginal people
• The Australian Human Rights Commission has some good background information and answers to some commonly asked questions.

Terminology

Using language that is appropriate and respectful is important when speaking about or to anyone.

• The University has developed the following usage guide to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander terminology.
• NSW Health has created the document Communicating Positively that looks at appropriate and respectful language to use when speaking about or to Aboriginal people.

Resources for teaching academics

Teaching inclusively means creating a learning environment where students, irrespective of their background can maximise the potential for their own learning and the learning of others.

• The Institute for Teaching and Learning provides some excellent resources to develop inclusive teaching.
• There are also strategies available from various Faculty websites - including from the Faculty of Business around teaching international students.
• Further strategies developed by the University of Melbourne can be found in their publications Assessing Student Learning and Teaching International Students.
• The following article explores the question of Educators' Conceptions of Student Diversity in their Classes.
• The Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council document ‘Principles and Practice of Cultural Competency’ has an excellent background chapter (chapter 3) on cultural competence.

Resources for research academics

The National Health and Medical Research Council has developed a range of documents that cover research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities.

• The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research.
• Ethical Conduct in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research. The document contains guidelines for ethical health research on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In accordance with guidance from Aboriginal people it is written around a framework of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values and principles.
• The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research.
• The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Tores Strait Islander Studies has also produced Guidelines for Ethical Research in Indigenous Studies.