RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING STRATEGIES

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1 RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING STRATEGIES The following information includes some ideas and suggestions for improving access to cultural information as well as identifying strategies that can support the development of services to clients from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. It is the responsibility of each organization who receives this information to contact the relevant departments / authorities, such as the Equal Opportunity Commission, to ensure that they act according to the required laws and regulations. For the purposes of this information some sections refer to the Greek community for the examples and can be adjusted as required. Advertising The following wordings can be used to advertise vacancies to attract people with specific language and cultural skills. Fluency or proficiency in the Greek language required Persons of non-english speaking backgrounds are encouraged to apply Persons who speak languages are encouraged to apply Ability to speak, read and write Greek is necessary or essential An understanding of the Greek culture required or preferred Demonstrated ability to work with clients of CALD communities Demonstrated understanding of the needs of people of an ethnic background Experience in working with people of diverse cultural backgrounds preferred Prior experience in an aged care setting will be favourably considered Recruiting Cross Cultural Staff Ethno-Specific Organisations (newsletter, notice board, etc) Advertising in ethno-specific media (print and radio) Educational Institutions (graduates of aged care, health and relevant studies) direct contact with specific relevant departments, advertise positions on notice boards Mainstream service providers (councils, health centres, others that deal with wide range of clients and provide ethno-specific services) Aged Care services and related websites. Hospitals, Health Centres, community settings, clubs etc. Identify recruitment agencies such as Health Recruitment and AMES that provide staff to the health and allied industries and may have expertise in finding relevant cross cultural staff. 1

2 Interview Process To determine the suitability of an applicant in relation to language skills you may opt to do one of the following: Have a bi lingual staff member on the interview panel that is able to determine the applicant s community language skills and cultural knowledge. Also may need to determine level of English language skills if it is their second language Consider the use of an interpreter to interpret the interviewers questions and report back the answer. In this case it may be necessary to brief the interpreter about the position and the context of the questions to enable appropriate interpretation of questions and answers. Utilise the expertise of staff from an ethno-specific organisation such as AGWS. This option may require a budget as agencies may have a cost attached to this service. You could provide the applicant with a passage to read, in the required language, and ask the applicant to provide a summary of the information, in English Cross Cultural Training Enlist the help and services of ethno-specific services such as AGWS who understand the needs of Greek speaking clients. Some services may charge a fee for training sessions. Consider cross-cultural training either in house to include all staff or send staff to suitable external cross-cultural training. Training should be ongoing for all staff to ensure the service requirements of the organizations are met. Keep abreast of cross-cultural training programs. Register with the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health (CEH), ADEC and other service provider, including ethno specific agencies to be informed of relevant training. Utilise the knowledge, resources, skills and staff expertise of ethno-specific services providers to promote greater understanding amongst mainstream staff. Many ethno specific organizations have developed cultural and language specific resources and information that can be utilised by service providers to train staff and support work with CALD clients. Some of these resources may be at a cost and will need to be purchased from the respective services. Encourage staff participation in cultural projects with other organizations as a form of training and increasing knowledge and skill base of workers and at the same time addressing client service needs. 2

3 Possible Interview questions for aged care service providers to incorporate in interviews Have you provided care to residents / clients of a different ethnic background? What were some of the difficulties and / or differences in their care needs? This nursing home has residents from CALD backgrounds that have varying needs. What do you think some of those needs are? (eg. religious, language, cultural and social) How important do you think the provision of culturally appropriate care is and why? What do you think can be done to make our care more culturally relevant for Greek speaking clients? Have you had any formal training or work training on needs of the CALD residents / clients? How important is cross cultural training for staff? What would you gain from such training? Are you fluent in languages other than English (written and verbal)? Ask applicant to sample his/her language skills by asking questions in the given language What have been some of your experiences working with residents / clients of CALD background? Give 2 examples of cultural care practice / experience with these clients Are you aware of any ethno-specific service providers and how you might be able to work with them to benefit your client group? What types of policies and practices should aged care facilities have in place to ensure that the cultural needs of CALD clients are met? Are you involved with any cultural committees or community organisations and if so in what capacity and what are your responsibilities? 3

4 Organisational Policies and Procedures Organistions, in their effort to be responsive to the needs of their client group, have to some extent developed policies and procedures that ensure quality care and service to clients and their families. For an agency to adequately respond and develop services for CALD communities the agency policies must reflect the need for this service area. Management should consider developing processes for informing and educating workers on this priority and support staff in their development of programs for clients and their capacity to develop the necessary links within the community. The following activities can be considered in the development of strategies to address the language and cultural needs of CALD communities. Ensure that client information is available in languages other than English. Ensure that services, programs, meals, recreation reflect cultural diversity of facility. Respect and accommodate varying religious needs and customs. Provide ongoing access to cross cultural training for staff Consult with ethno specific and other relevant services, where required, when planning programs and delivering services to CALD communities to increase relevance and sensitivity. Incorporate CALD client needs in all aspects of care planning and delivery. This may also involve consultation with carers, family, other mainstream and ethno specific professionals Develop Best Practice Model in respect to quality care for clients of all backgrounds. The model may include areas such as employment of bilingual, bicultural staff, utilization of interpreters. Foster a culture of multiculturalism within your organisation and encourage and support staff to continually improve their knowledge, skills and understanding of multicultural issues. Resources - Ensure you have at hand any cultural resources (books, videos, information brochures, other) that can help to improve staff knowledge of a given culture. For instance, AGWS has a cultural resource manual and a cultural kit 4

5 Invite professionals and community groups from the general or specific communities to attend the facility/ agency to promote services and develop community contacts. Organise orientation tours to facilities encouraging people from the various communities give their views and recommendations about what they would want as care options as well as dispelling myths about community care. Cultivate networks with ethno-specific providers and establish advisory committees to address cultural issues eg PICAC-Vic. Other contact points Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health conduct cross cultural training and have an extensive catalogue of videos on CALD issues and needs including Cross Cultural Communication, Health Care System, Immigration and Resettlement, Managing a Multicultual Workforce, Multicultural Service Delivery, Working with Interpreters. Videos are available for short-term loan. catalogue.htm Cultural Competency Checklist Provide a checklist outlining practices that promote cultural diversity and accessible & equitable services. Best Practice (West Australian Dept of Health Multicultural Access Unit) Information outlines levels of best practice for health services. Australian Greek Welfare Society is supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Community Partners Program (CPP) 5

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