95743 Chap.10 Cultural Competence, the DMIS and CALD Engagement
Cultural Competence, the DMIS and CALD Engagement
What competence involves
Module 6 defines cultural competence as behaviours, attitudes and policies that let a system, agency or professional work effectively across cultures, and it starts with the practitioner: heuristics and cultural programming shape what we notice and how we judge, so self-awareness comes first.
A model of development
Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity arranges responses to difference on a continuum of six stages, from denial, defense and minimization, which keep one's own culture at the centre, to acceptance, adaptation and integration, which understand cultures relative to each other.
Each stage has its own developmental task.
Engaging communities
The lecture lists challenges faced by community members and by practitioners, UNESCO's cultural competencies and local techniques, from recognising the limits of your knowledge to building trust, which together guide any engagement plan.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Multiculturalism and pluralism recap
- 02
Defining cultural competence
- 03
Heuristics and cultural programming
- 04
The six DMIS stages and sub-forms
- 05
Ethnocentric and ethnorelative stages
- 06
Developmental tasks for training
- 07
Challenges in CALD engagement
- 08
UNESCO competencies and local techniques
Worked example · free
Set a training goal from a worker's position on the DMIS staircase
- 1Worker (a) is at minimization, so the goal is cultural self-awareness: noticing that 'the same' is defined in their own cultural terms.
- 1Worker (b) is at defense, so the goal is to soften polarisation by emphasising common humanity before teaching cultural detail.
- 1Worker (c) is at acceptance, so the goal is to move towards adaptation by practising deliberate shifts in perspective and behaviour.
Key terms
- Heuristics
- Mental shortcuts that let people make quick judgments without reasoning through every step.
- Cultural Programming
- The built-in patterns that shape a person's perceptions, ways of processing information and expression of ideas.
- Minimization
- The third DMIS stage, in which cultural differences are played down as superficial compared with human sameness.
- Constructive Marginality
- A sub-form of integration in which a person's identity moves comfortably between cultures.
- Cultural Humility
- A UNESCO competency that combines respect for others with awareness of one's own perspective.
Cultural Competence, the DMIS and CALD Engagement FAQ
Which DMIS stages are ethnocentric and which are ethnorelative?
Denial, defense and minimization are ethnocentric, because one's own culture is treated as central to reality. Acceptance, adaptation and integration are ethnorelative, because cultures are understood relative to each other and behaviour is read within its context.
What does Quiz 4 cover from Module 6?
The Quiz 4 page lists cultural pluralism, Bennett's DMIS and the definition of heuristics from the Module 6 lecture, alongside the neurodiversity lecture from Module 4. Expect terminology and stage-identification questions.
What challenges do practitioners face when working with CALD communities?
The lecture names a lack of training, of resources such as interpreters and technology, of knowledge about specific communities and of experience, together with the mistaken assumption that a cultural group is uniform.
What local techniques does the lecture recommend for engagement?
Recognise the limits of your knowledge and gather information directly from families, consider context and intersectionality, use varied communication methods including translation and visual aids, facilitate two-way dialogue, and be patient, because trust is critical and takes time.
How does the NSW plan for culturally diverse communities connect to this module?
The NSW Health plan sets four outcomes for its services: better access and quality of care, support for health literacy, responsiveness to individual needs, language and culture, and an understanding of the needs and identities of these communities. The Module 6 techniques are practical ways of meeting those outcomes.
Assessment move
Learn the six DMIS stages in order with their sub-forms, then practise naming the stage from short quotations of your own. Memorise the definitions of heuristics and cultural programming word for word for Quiz 4. For the pitch, use the challenges list as a checklist: show the board how your event answers language, privacy, fear of authorities and accessible information.
Before the Module 5 and 6 workshops, the pre-work asks you to compare a NSW vision screening program with another engagement protocol on principles, priorities and methods; keep that comparison, because it gives you ready material for the pitch. Pair each stage with a sentence a health worker might say.
