Presentation from Northcott's Cultural Competency in Disability Conference 2015

1. Cultural Competency:
The Experience of CASS Care Ltd
Eva Liu & Doris Zhang

2. CASS Care Ltd
Service highlights
•Disability Services
•Child Care (3 child care centres)
•Residential Aged Care
•Community Aged Care: Home care, Home Support Program, Activities
groups
•Settlement Services
•Chinese Schools

3. 44-50 Sixth Ave., Campsie, NSW 2194
Website: www.cass.org.au;
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cass.oz;
WeChat: CASS_1981

4. Disability Services Overview
• Two group homes
• Day program: including Community participation, life Choices, and
Active Ageing
• Flexible Respite
• 18 support workers to support the services: 77% Chinese 22% Korean
• Client combination: 78% Chinese 11% Vietnamese 11% other cultural
backgrounds

5. What is Culture?
• Most people focus culture on ethnicity
• In fact, Disability Group itself has its own culture
• “It is not just a shared experience of oppression
but includes art, humour, a history, evolving
language and symbols, beliefs, values and
strategies for surviving and thriving.” (Gill, 1995)

6. Cultural competency in CASS
- Governance
- Infrastructure and facilities
- Communication and information delivery
- Services provision & interventions
- Staff Development

7. Governance
• All board members are from CALD background
• Cultural competency training to board members
• AGM conducted in Chinese because majority of the members are from
Chinese background
• AGM meeting minutes, notification letter, annual reports, financial
documents and newsletters are printed in both Chinese and English

8. Infrastructure and facilities
• Chinese and CALD language TV channels for clients to
choose
• Diversity cooking facilities: wok, bamboo steamer for
making Dim Sim, chopsticks for client to choose
• Multilingual labels and directions: Chinese, English,
Korean
• Activity Room tailored for individuals

9. Communication and information delivery
• Brochures (4 languages)
• Bilingual service agreement / contract
• Bilingual clients handbook and staff handbook
• Match same cultural background key workers to particular
clients
• Questionnaires are printed in simple English and Chinese,
pictures and photos are inserted for easy understanding

10. Program provision & interventions
• Celebrate Chinese festivals, such as Chinese new year, noon
festival etc
• Provide Chinese and Vietnamese food regularly to satisfy
client’s individual choice
• Programs and activities are conducted in bilingual
• Community access programs, offering opportunities for clients
to participate in multicultural (including mainstream) events
• Considering cultural elements in program design: Musical
program, Art and craft making, Cultural festival celebration

13. Staff Development
1. Arrange Cultural Competency training
2. Develop self study group for Disability Support
Workers
3. Emphasis cultural competency in staff meeting
and individual supervision

14. From competent in our culture to
cultural competency
How the arrival of Tom changes the way we operate
•Improving of infrastructure: private space, catering to personal interest,
•Equipping our staff members through training and development
•Helping our residents to mingle through learning each other’s culture
•Developing Lifestyle Individual Plan in line with cultural needs
•Incorporating the lessons learnt into our model of organizational development

15. Never underestimate the mundane!
A culturally appropriate service must pay attention to
the basic items which constitute a good life from the
perspective of a client:
•Food;
•Recreational activities;
•Educational activities;

16. The story of Mary
Cultural competency as a tool to help
residents with complex need

17. How we use culturally appropriate services and
skills to help to recover from traumatic experiences
Empowering staff in understanding:
•Cultural bereavement
•Mental illness – as a personal coping strategy
•Family culture

18. Thank you!