Overview
Australia is one of the most multicultural country in the world. Cultural competency and responsiveness skills will assist you to understand and communicate better with people from other cultures.
According to the 2021 Census over a third of people living in Western Australia were born overseas. Western Australia is unique as it is an Australian state to have a higher percentage of people born overseas from non-English speaking countries compared to people born overseas from English speaking countries. This is significant because “culture and language are inextricably bound” (Hall & Hall 1990; Hall 1976). As a result, it is important that the public service sector gains a deeper understanding of “cultural competence and responsiveness” and understand the importance of the Equal Opportunity Act, Section 51. In addition, this training will support the implementation of the WA governments “Multicultural Framework”, and underpins the ‘Workforce Diversification and Inclusion Strategy for WA Public Sector Employment 2020-2025′.
This workshop is designed to:
- equip you with the desirable attitudes, knowledge and skills to deliver culturally competent services and engage effectively with colleagues, clients and communities.
- encourage you to share stories and insights into your own culture/s and cultural experiences.
- be interactive and provide opportunities for you to raise issues and engage in discussions.
Course Content
- Diversity in Western Australia
- Culture and Cultural Competencies
- Importance of Substantive Equality and Inclusiveness
- Dimensions of Culture (Values and behaviours)
- Differing needs of Migrants and Former Refugees
- Inclusiveness and Unconscious Bias
- Intercultural Communication
- Stories from different cultures.
Course Outcomes
After completing this workshop, you should be able to:
- Apply understanding of legislative and policy impacts to work practices to improve outcomes for culturally and linguistically diverse people.
- Describe the differences between the settlement needs of migrants and former refugees in Western Australia.
- Apply cultural competency and responsiveness skills.
- Use reflective practices and questioning to identify unconscious bias and develop your cultural curiosity and sensitivity.
- Improve Intercultural communication strategies that contribute to productive and harmonious relations between colleagues, clients and communities.
Benefits to your organisation
- Understand culturally diverse people’s needs and know how to respond better.
- Deliver improved services to diverse communities.
- Prevent and/or identify communication mistakes by being more sensitive to the complexities of intercultural communication.
- Increase productivity by harnessing the different perspectives and strengths of a diverse workforce.
Benefits to you
- Reflect on how your culture/s may impact your values, behaviours and relationships with people from other cultures.
- Learn how to include culture when you plan and deliver service.
- Develop strategies and techniques for intercultural communication.
