Social And Emotional Wellbeing Of The Service User

Cultural competence is the ability to interact well with people of different cultural backgrounds (Rundle, 2002). It provides the best ways of meeting the needs of diverse patient population which is always on the increase, as well as ways of effectively advocating for them. This means that cultural competence has the benefit of enabling nurses to deliver services that respect and effectively respond to health beliefs and practice needs of diverse patients. Through the process of globalization, nurses are moving to places of nursing shortage to offer their knowledge and skills beyond their home

Cultural Competence is important for many reasons. First, it can help develop culturally sensitive practices which can in turn help reduce barriers that affect treatment in health care settings. Second, it can help build understanding, which is critical in competence, in order wards knowing whom the person

The outcome of cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity is cultural safety (Berg, 2010). In practicing cultural safety, it is not really expected that health care workers will know all cultures; it is acknowledging and respecting people regardless of their differences and beliefs (Hughes & Farrow, 2006). Moreover, nurses and other health professionals create cultural safe practice when the patients feel safe, respected and understood (Skellet, 2012), as well as if there is a shared understanding and acknowledgement of the unique identity and diversity. Health workers should always consider the cultural and historical background of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, because practicing cultural safety is significant to

Cultural competence involves increased awareness and sensitivity to the populations served. Cultural competency requires research and attention of the service providers. Cultural competency can be directly defined as follows:

Hence, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spirituality is defined as at the core of their being and identity Grant (cited in Muller, 2014). It originates from the deep sense of belonging to one’s country, and it gives meaning to all aspects of life, including relationship with one another (Poroch et al., 2009). Country “refers to everything, including land, air, water, stories of ‘dreaming’, being dynamic and multilayer, forming rules, norms and beliefs of existence between species and humans and ancestral beliefs” (Kingsley Townsend, Hender-Wilson & Bolam, p.683). Past policies and colonisation have displacement many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People from the connection to their country, language, culture, communities which has created social and health inequalities Gee et al (cited in Dudgeon et al, 2014). In addition has caused significant distress, powerless, integrational grief and trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People to this day (Kingsley et al., 2013). Therefore the service delivery should aim to incorporate a holistic approach in addressing social-emotional wellbeing, as it knowledge’s the psychological distress impacted by colonisation (AIHW, 2009). Also, it addresses the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People meaning of health by providing services for social, emotional, spirituality and physical (NACCHO, 2016). Thus by providing a

Nurses have a perfect role in influencing, and in the distinctive position to encourage health for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Brascoupe, 2009). Thus, culturally safe care is a vital component in improving the health of the Indigenous population (Durey & Thompson, 2012). Likewise, the existence of an Aboriginal health worker (AHW) in partnership with non-Indigenous health providers especially in the primary health care settings carries matching skills to improve the health care and wellbeing of the Indigenous Australians (Abott, Gordon & Davison, 2008). The AHW are the main health professionals, valued and equal members of the health care team, they have an incomparable clinical skills in health promotion, education and leadership roles which has a great involvement in closing the gap between the non-indigenous and Indigenous Australian (Abott, Gordon & Davison, 2008). The strategy of employing Indigenous health professionals and health workers to encourage culturally safe care delivery works in addressing cultural competence, acceptability and appropriateness (Ware, 2013). Therefore, acceptable health care services works from cultural safety and respect, and allowing clients to maintain their cultural practices (Ware,

Cultural competence embraces: ... gaining knowledge of different cultural practices and world views. Developing skills for communication and interaction across cultures.[ There is excellent evidences shows that cultural competence training improves the knowledge of health profession), and good evidence that cultural competence training improves the attitudes and skills of health professionals and impacts patient satisfaction Cultural competence training shows promise as a strategy for improving the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of health professionals. . Directly interacting with patients from different cultural backgrounds helps nurses increase their cultural competence. s. Health care providers must possess the ability and the knowledge to communicate and to understand how health behaviors are influenced by culture. Having this ability and knowledge can eliminate barriers to the delivery of health care.

Since cultural competence includes attaining the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to enable practitioners to provide effective care for diverse populations, reading and adhering to the Indicators for the Achievement of the NASW Standards for Cultural Competency in Social Work Practice, will allow me to incorporate the ten standards in my daily practice. The ten standards include; ethics and values, self-awareness, cross-cultural knowledge, cross-cultural skills, service delivery, empowerment and advocacy, diverse workforce, professional education, language diversity, and cross-cultural leadership.

This essay will explore about creating a culturally safe delivery of health care services to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian. What are the various factors influencing the access to health care, and the journey towards achieving culturally safe practice for the Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people. Likewise the concept and principles of cultural safety, that is fundamental in the Australian nursing and midwifery practice of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Mental health in Australia is based on the western medical model of illness (Drew, Adams and Walker, 2014) which has an individual focus and thereby tends to ignore the holistic, alternative therapies which may be centred on the family, community, religion etc. Given the importance that traditional healers hold in the Aboriginal community, it is important, that a practitioner acknowledge these

Furthermore, it is reasonable to assume that if a person’s culture and traumatic experiences are not considered, potentially helpful services may be rendered ineffective or cause more harm. Trauma-informed care is a strategy employed to minimise retraumatisation and provide a safe, affirming and respectful environment (Browne et al., 2016). This approach is achieved by an organisation’s staff being knowledgeable in how historical trauma, ongoing violence and discrimination still effect Indigenous Australians today (Browne et al., 2016). Additionally, a close connection to culture, community and family are considered important contributors in maintaining health and wellbeing for many Indigenous Australians (Priest, Mackean, Davis, Briggs, & Waters, 2012). Therefore, culture needs to be central to how organisations operate, as dismissive professionals lead to skepticism, hostility, unwillingness and hypervigilance (Herring, Spangaro, Lauw, & McNamara, 2013). Consequently, service providers should demonstrate that they can provide a safe, non-judgmental and understanding environment where culture is embraced (Herring et al., 2013). In addressing these issues, organisations can set the ground work for the most appropriate and effective services. Henceforth, ensuring a safe and respectful environment to encourage participation and

Building rapport with community leaders and with organisations run by Indigenous people will help service providers identify the potential impact of cultural factors on service delivery to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients in other areas also. These group of people have in-depth knowledge about local cultural values and

To understand some of the differences and issues specially related communications among nurses and caregivers providing palliative care and end of life care to aboriginal patients who has been diagnosed with terminal illness.

Cultural safety is a principle that has been adopted into Australia and has become a relevant philosophy widely accepted in healthcare. Its meaning is to provide a healthcare professional the knowledge that within the Indigenous culture exists different meanings, values, and forms of respect (Reference). Cultural safety is to provide an environment within a service that is safe for Aboriginal people which is respectful and identifies their identity with no denial or assault (reference). Critical reflection on this term within the provided scenario shows an environment that has not been executed correctly as respecting cultural safety. In reflection it is seen as culturally unsafe within practice to, “diminish, demean or disempower the cultural

Defined as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural and linguistic needs (Georgetown University, 2004) Cultural competence is an ideal that spans across not only healthcare, but also law enforcement. Utilizing the same mindset as the healthcare industry, law enforcement has the dubious task of deciphering how to provide a service meant for all and ensure that the needs of all citizens and businesses are met. According to Terry Cross (1988), culturally competent agencies are characterized by acceptance and respect for difference, continuing self-assessment regarding culture, careful attention to the dynamics of difference, continuous expansion of cultural knowledge and resources, and a variety of adaptations to service models in order to better meet the needs of minority populations. The culturally competent agency works to hire unbiased employees, seeks advice and consultation from the minority community and actively decides what it is and is not capable of providing to minority clients.