Question

A. In your own words, explain the concepts of ‘cultural awareness’. Consider the work roles in your preferred industry and write down how an understanding of cultural awareness can be of benefit to relationships with others in the workplace.

B. In your own words, describe the concepts of ‘cultural competence’ and its impact on those employed in community services.

c.In your own words, describe the concepts of ‘cultural safety’ and its impact on community service workers.

d.Describe the legislative and ethical rights and responsibilities of employees, employers and clients to ensure a culturally safe and diverse work environment and care experience. List in your answer the types of requirements that must be adhered to.

e.What actions can a client take if they feel an organisation is being discriminatory and not taking due care to meet their cultural needs?

Answer 1

A. Cultural awareness:

The arts, customs, lifestyles, background and habits that charecterize a particular society or nation , is called Culture. Cultural awareness is the state of being aware about the cultural differences and similarities between two particular culture, so that this understanding can use as an effective tool for communication with members of another cultural group.  

An employee, should have the cultural awareness, especially when he is working in a diverse culture. As the healthcare workers always have a diverse work environment, it is important that they should have a good cultural awareness to work and communicate effectively with the patients and the coworkers.

For example: Touching without consent is a wrongdoing and not acceptable in certain aboriginal or ethnic group. If the nurse is aware about their culture, then she will act in accordance with it, so that she can maintain a good therapeutic relationship with the client and family.  

B. Cultural competence:

Cultural competence of a health worker can be defined as the ability of the person not only to understand , but also to develop a positive attitude towards the culture and develop an effective communication and rapport with members of the community.  

Healthcare workers, those who employed in community must need the quality of cultural competence to work effectively in the community , as many individuals and families from different ethnicity, culture and religion are living in the community and each of their cultural practices and beliefs about health and illness are different. Community workers must have the cultural competency to work effectively with the members of different society.  

C. Cultural safety: Cultural safety is the process of providing a safe environment , that is emotionally, socially and spiritually safe for the clients and co-workers of different cultures. In the environment, where there is cultural safety, there will not be any harm or insult for the patient's identity or pattern of behaviour or for the cultural values . Patient or the client will be safe enough to be in their identity, or to be with their cultural belief system.  

D. Legislative, ethical rights and responsibilities for ensuring cultural safety:

Employers have a responsibility to provide a diverse working environment that is culturally safe and free from discrimination or hram or / insult for different members of the society. They should make culturally safe organisation policies and should adhere to the Government rules and regulations.

Employees can enjoy the culturally safe working environment and should also follow the organisational policies for a safe working environment and have to respect co-workers and patients from different culture. They should not involve any cultural bias or activities that is not fair towards a particular culture.  

Clients can enjoy the culturally safe environment of the healthcare settings/ organisation and they have to aware about their right of getting a sfe environment free from harassment or insult.  

Type of requirements that must be adhered:

* There should not be any inequality in delivering the services to the members of different cultures, based on gender, ethnicity, religion, colour etc.

* Employers and employees should have the cultural awareness and cultural competence to provide the services better to the clients

* The working environment should be free from discrimination or harassment based on cultural differences.

e. If a client feels that he is treated with discrimination and he is being judged over his culture, then he can take necessary actions such as reporting to the Government or to the regulatory bodies. The client should be aware about his rights and if an employee or a Health care worker is showing a discrimination , he can report the authority or the management of the organisation and if the organisation is not taking any action to correct it or compensating it , the client can approach the Government / regulatory bidy /consumer protection forum for necessary actions and fair treatment. Before that ge has to make sure that , the action is coming under discrimination and he has to collect necessary evidences for that event, then he can report it and can move legally.