Cultural and linguistic competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals and enable that system, agency or those professions to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.

Videos:

• Youth Cultural Competency YouTube - Youth Power
• Education System v. Cultural Competence - Gracia Bareti - TEDxDirigo

Resources:

• National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) pdf.
• Paving The Way - A Toolkit for Assessing and Advancing Cultural and Linguistic Competency pdf.

Pennsylvania CARE Partnership

The Pennsylvania System of Care Partnership recognizes Cultural and Linguistic Competence as one of its eleven values for improving the delivery of care to youth and families across the Commonwealth. Under the Pennsylvania System of Care Partnership Standards cultural and linguistic competence is defined in Standard VI as “the integration and transformation of knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes from and about individuals or groups that enable policymakers, administrators, youth, families, service providers, and system partners to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.” The PA SOC Partnership is committed to the on-going improvement of cultural and linguistic competency through knowledge building using adaptive technical assistance initiatives supporting the development of CLC programming to improve the delivery of care to youth and families across the Commonwealth. Specifically, the PA SOC Partnership and CLC Coordinator have promoted the integration of CLC programming in SOC counties by:

• Support for the hiring of diverse staff including a review of human resource materials, employment descriptions and providing counties with best practices for ensuring diverse hires.

• In 2014, the PA SOC Partnership established a state-wide Cultural and Linguistic Competence subcommittee comprised of youth, family, and system partners charged with advising the CLC Coordinator on recommendations regarding various tools, communication, and strategies to address CLC and Cultural and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) at both the county and state level.

• The PA SOC Partnership has encouraged counties to share their unique cultures at the 2015 and 2016 Learning Institutes by participating in a CLC Basket Raffle. These baskets are an opportunity to share the beauty of our diversity with the entire System of Care Partnership as they are prominently displayed throughout the conference for youth, family, and system partners to win and take-home in an innovative cultural exchange.

• The PA SOC Partnership established a CLC Pilot Project Initiative in 2015, which is now in its second round of CLC pilot counties. The purpose of the Cultural and Linguistic Competency Pilot Project is to incorporate culturally and linguistically competent methods into the Pennsylvania System of Care County planning process using the expertise of the county leadership team, PA SOC State implementation team, youth, family, system partners, and community members. In total 7 counties have enhanced their CLC programming from participation in the pilot.

• CLC resources developed by the PA SOC Partnership have been made available on the partnership website. The CLC Coordinator has worked with the CLC subcommittee to review website resources and topical areas for inclusion on the CLC page. A survey of other state CLC websites was conducted to inform the development of the PA SOC CLC page.

• In 2015 the PA SOC Partnership launched the CLC Webinar series which occurs annually for PA SOC Counties to build foundational knowledge by focusing on current topics in CLC. The CLC Coordinator has facilitated various trainings, and through the development of a CLC website has begun to build a library of CLC trainers and trainings that can be accessed by counties on various technical assistance subjects.            

PA CARE Partnership

• Working with Linguistically Diverse Populations - May 2016 (Recording)
• Engaging Diverse Youth in System of (SOC) - January 2015
• Cultural and Linguistic Competency 101 - November 2014