C. CULTURAL COMPETENCE                   

Cultural competence is about the ability of staff to identify, intervene and work with people in ways that recognise the central role that culture plays in what's being worked on .

To be culturally competent you need to understand:

  • World views and culture
  • What cultural competence is
  • The process of becoming culturally competent
  • Differences between cultures
  • Differences between communications styles across cultures.

Cultural competence is not only relevant to working with Indigenous Australians, but with all Australians of any cultural background.