Engaging with Culturally Diverse Families

Amanda Duffy Randall, PhD, LCSW

Grace Abbott School of Social Work

University of Nebraska at Omaha

Definitions and Meanings

What is a diverse family system?

Different from what?

Race Class Gender Family structure

Commonalities and Differences

Dimensions in which to view families include:

Family structure: marital status, sexual orientation, age

Relationship variables:

marital-partner

parent-child

intergenerational (older child/parent/grandparent)

kinship relationships /extended family

Primary language used by the family

Additional factors to Consider

Structure of family system: intact, single parent, divorced, remarried, stepfamily, intergenerational parenting

Context of the family in the community Immigration and legal status Socioeconomic context of current family situation Cultural community support Religious/spiritual beliefs of the family Out of home placement for children/foster care

system

What is Cultural Competence?

Special knowledge about individuals, families and groups of people incorporated into standards, policies and practices

Process of becoming culturally competent leads to better understanding and appreciation of families and their unique backgrounds,

Increase in quality of services and programs Better outcomes for families and providers

Why is cultural competence important in educational/afterschool settings?

Educational settings are culturally diverse environments by nature

On-going and continual process to adapt program practices to diverse families

Provides enhanced understanding of student behaviors that are culturally influenced (eye contact, voice tone, physical touch or posture, communication with adults)

Misunderstanding of behaviors can easily lead to confusion for child/family/caregivers

A culturally competent program needs to:

Have a set of values and principles that recognize diversity

Demonstrate behaviors, attitudes, policies and structures that enable effective cross-culture work and value diversity

Conduct self-assessment to ensure sensitivity to cultural characteristics and family structures

Be committed to manage the “dynamics of difference” Learn about and incorporate cultural knowledge into

practices Adapt to diversity and cultural contexts of the

community served

Things to consider …….

What are the potential barriers families may experience working with your program?

What are the potential benefits of family diversity in your program?

What do you and your staff know about the diversity of families served by your program?

What are sources of information for your program staff?

Empowering families for participation

Families may not participate in the child’s after school programming for a variety of reasons:

Lack of language proficiency Lack of experience or confidence in interacting with

educational programming Insufficient information about the program or family

expectations Work responsibilities Perceived prejudice from staff or educational

setting

Suggestions

Respect the uniqueness of each family systemLanguage, culture, structure, experience

Develop a personalized relationship with each family

Communicate in culturally appropriate mannerspeak to the correct person, use interpreters if necessary, send

written information in usable language

Recruit staff who view diversity as an asset

Evaluate outcomes and review and enact needed changes