1. Cultural Competency and Keeping Children Safe Fiona McColl – PeakCare Queensland Inc.

2. 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.

3. CaLD communities and families Federal Initiatives Queensland State Initiatives Government Services Non- Government Organizations Direct frontline practice

4.  Collaboration between University and academic perspectives with the perspectives of those ‘on the ground’ managing services and with those who are providing direct service through their practice.

5.  Collaboration between the government and non- government sectors who may or may not identify child protection as their core business, but who invariably find an intersection between the services they provide to culturally and linguistically diverse children and their families and child protection concerns

6.  Collaboration between PeakCare  The Queensland State Child Protection Peak  The Ethnic Community Council of Queensland  The Queensland State Multi-Cultural Peak

7.  Collaboration, most importantly, between researchers and culturally and linguistically diverse communities, families and children who have a wealth of experience to offer this project and without whom this research would be ill conceived.

8.  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.

9.  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.

10. UN Convention of the Child “Rights of the Child” (Human Rights Framework) The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children The Queensland Compact

11.  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)

12. Phase One consist of the development and piloting of tool Phase Two undertake a series of ‘guided conversation’ with Queensland CaLD communities about ‘Child Safety’ Phase Three explore the experiences of CaLD families and children with child protection assessment and intervention

13.  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.

14.  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.

15.  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.

17.  In total 68 individual participants participated in the pilot process.  4 non-government organisations and various organisations from Cairns. Centre Against Sexual Violence Inala Youth Service Boystown QPASTT (Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma) 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 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

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

19. 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. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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…