Now to begin with, it's important to understand
what we mean by cultural competence.
Culture refers to integrated patterns of
human behaviour that includes things like
language, thoughts, actions, customs
and the beliefs of an individual.
It's a value and belief system which determines the way
an individual views and makes sense of the world.
Because of that, it's multidimensional
and a continuous process.
Because a person's value and belief system
will be influenced by various elements of their identity
such as their religion and how much they follow that religion,
their ethnicity, their age, their gender,
their life experiences, where they grew up,
and so on and so forth.
Competence implies having the capacity
to function effectively
either as an individual or an organisation
or even within a team
within the context of those cultural beliefs and practices
and the belief systems that are presented by people
and their communities.
Cultural competence therefore
is more than just having an awareness
of someone's cultural norms.
It's an approach that
values diversity and promotes inclusivity
thus representing a value-based perspective
that recognises individuality.
It requires self awareness, cultural knowledge,
and skills to foster culturally effective and ethical communications,
interactions and relationships
with people of various cultural backgrounds.
It also requires an element of cultural humility
and this is a lifelong commitment to self evaluation
and the awareness that one's culture,
or one's own culture, is not the only one
or necessarily the best one.
So how is this relevant in research?
For some studies, recruiting a researcher from the same background
as the participants may improve recruitment.
and the overall research experience.
However, as evidenced in the literature,
and from our focus group with BAME community members
to find out what would encourage them to take part in research,
it's not one's ethnic identity that matters,
but rather their ability to be culturally competent.
As one community member stated,
it's about respect and trust.
If I'm going to share intimate details with you,
I need to first know I can trust you.
Communication is more than just verbal language.
Like most interactions, it's someone's approach which gets attention,
their ability to listen and be respectful.
This was also echoed by one of the researchers in our focus groups,
who said "ticking the language box just isn't enough, a researcher needs to be culturally aware,
not just of the community's culture, but of their own too and how that can impact on the research."
Now, as we become more knowledgeable and appreciative of the importance
of being culturally competent and responsive,
the need for education and training in this area also increases.
Although cultural competence as a concept has been around for quite a while,
training in this area is actually yet to be validated.
Quite often, training is delivered by discussing the cultural norms
and sensitivities within communities,
which is then construed as cultural competence. But it is so much more than that.
To be culturally competent,
you have to have more than just an awareness of cultural norms and practices.
Though these are certainly helpful, training for cultural competence in research
should focus on a process of self evaluation and reflection
to ensure that the subconscious prejudices and stereotypes
that we may hold towards communities do not impact on the research process.
Now, let me share with you an example of this, which although happened in practice
can be transferable within the context of research.
A care home in a predominantly white British area had its first Muslim resident.
She was fluent in Urdu and understood basic English,
although couldn't speak it very well.
Although after a few months, the carers had developed good relationships with this lady,
the difficulties in communicating with her were becoming apparent.
The care home therefore advertised for an Urdu speaking care worker
to ensure that she had access to the same quality of care as the other residents.
And they were successful in the appointment of a female Urdu speaking lady
who was also Muslim by background.
By now, the resident had her routine and had settled in well.
On a Friday evening, she liked a glass of red wine and would often sit and listen to music.
One Friday evening, she was sat with her glass of wine
and the newly employed Muslim care worker approached her
and told her that the wine is haram and she will go to hell.
It is to no surprise therefore that in our research,
BAME community members stated that often they do not want the researcher to be
from the same community as them.
Especially if the subject being researched is considered taboo.
For example, mental health.
It is easy to assume that if a person is from the same community as the participants,
language and cultural barriers will be defeated.
However, as evidenced from this example, quite often
people bring their own cultural biases and prejudices into practice and research.
Now, cultural competence works both at an individual and an organisational level, as I've stated.
It recognises that culture changes, as do human beings
and that in changes in both obvious and more subtle ways.
Cultural competence, therefore, is a continuous process.
So, learning someone's norms and their practices is not enough,
it's recognising that these norms and practices can also change with the individual,
as they change as a person.
Now, a culturally competent researcher will actively develop and practice
appropriate, relevant and sensitive strategies and skills
in working with individuals, taking into account their cultural background.
It's important that the researcher's approach takes into account
the life experiences and cultural values of the participants,
which will build trust and rapport, which is a really important component
for research with BAME communities.
Now, a useful starting point to the development is to get to know
the communities you are preparing to work with,
establishing contacts with the community, and faith and voluntary sector organisations.
If you needed to complete your research quickly,
you could quickly get on board people who are either knowledgeable,
i.e. have experience of conducting research in this area
or are part of the communities you are researching.
Even if it's just one or two people, because you may be against the clock,
these people could form part of a steering group or advisory group for the research study
and guide you through the various ways you can access and approach the community.
To minimise any possibility of interviewer cultural bias,
you could either develop a peer review group
or utilise the research the research team to have a go at analysing segments
of the collected data to compare and contrast the interpretations of the data.
This is also another important component of cultural competent research,
to not assume that every factor is related to a person's cultural background,
that there are other diversity factors in play
and that it is important that the research takes a person centred and holistic approach
to the individual or the phenomenon being studied
so that it is clear what is cultural and what is because of a different issue
i.e. a socioeconomic factor for example.
To summarise, to encourage cultural competency in the conduct of your research
you should think about developing a peer review group to help analyse and interpret the data.
Utilise reflective diaries as a process of self awareness and self evaluation.
Select an individual or number of individuals to guide you through the research process,
ensuring that the way in which you are looking to access and approach
the community is culturally correct and appropriate.
Make sure that you address issues of cultural bias,
to avoid the tendency to judge another culture or group of people
solely by the values and standards of one's own cultural background.
We all do this subconsciously, so this is something that requires
a lot of reflection, even if it's just very quick conversations with your research team
about what you think the particular issues were that arose out of certain data
and understanding where you fit within that research.
Avoid the effects of stigma by considering whether the topic being researched is considered taboo
and if it is, please take time and due consideration
to ensure that consideration is given to such sensitive issues
and that they are dealt with appropriately.
And of course, develop advanced communication skills,
especially where there is an interpreter being used.
This should be standard protocol of research training,
which requires researchers, especially qualitative researchers,
to possess excellent non-verbal communication skills.