Commitment to the Families First Support Services LLC. is committed to the continuous utilization of our Strategic Integrated Planning Process for the purpose of organizational responsiveness to the changing needs and expectations of the people we serve and our stakeholders, in conjunction with the changing business needs of our organization. Following this process ensures that our leadership maintains a viable planning structure, focused on our mission, core values, and vision, that guides Families First Support Services business practices. The creation and implementation of our Cultural Competency and Diversity Plan is an essential foundation to ensure that our staff, persons served, and other stakeholders develop awareness and sensitivity specific to the diversity of our service delivery areas. Diversity in terms of culture, age, gender, sexual orientation, spiritual beliefs, socioeconomic status and language are addressed in this plan. The framework for our Cultural Competency and Diversity Plan is to ensure an ongoing process of continuous quality improvement.
Assess the Environment
Set Strategy
Persons Served and Other Stakeholders
Obtain Input
Implement the Plan
Review Results
Effect Change
What is Cultural Competency?
An awareness of, respect for, and attention to the diversity of the people with whom it interacts (persons served, personnel, and other stakeholders) that are reflected in attitudes, organizational structures, policies and services.
Importance of Cultural Competency
As Families First Support Services continues to meet the needs and expectations of increasingly culturally and ethnically varied populations, a better understanding of cultural differences and their relationship to the hallmarks of quality service – respect, inclusiveness, and sensitivity – become essential. Serving diverse populations, after all, is not a “one size fits all” process. Diversity includes all differences, not just those that indicate racial or ethnic distinctions.
Families First Support Services mission, vision, values and purpose for creating this Cultural Competency and Diversity Plan (CCDP):
Mission:
“To create and promote innovative opportunities that reveal the natural potential in each person we serve.” Enduring Vision:
Connecting people, enriching lives
Core Values:
- Continuous quality improvement
- Collaborate with stakeholders
- Understand consumer choice
- Respect the worth of all people
- Cultivate every resource
Purpose of Cultural Competency & Diversity Plan:
- To ensure FFSS staff will have a greater awareness/knowledge and then be able to successfully respond to the diversity of our stakeholders (including areas such as spiritual beliefs, holidays, dietary regulations or preferences, clothing, attitudes toward impairments, language, how and when to use interpreters, etc.)
- The enhanced knowledge, skills and behaviors from the implementation of this CCDP will enable FFSS staff to work more effectively cross culturally by understanding, appreciating, and respecting differences and similarities in beliefs, values and practices within and between cultures
- To treat individuals receiving services, employees and all other stakeholders with respect
- To maintain and achieve the continuous satisfaction of individuals receiving services and all our additional stakeholders
- To recruit and retain highly skilled and talented employees
- To provide a positive and dynamic work environment that is committed to maximizing the potential of persons served and employees while supporting them and having an awareness of and sensitivity to their beliefs and culture
- To provide enhanced resources and training for staff, persons served and stakeholders
In addition, Families First Support Services is committed to:
· The promotion of diversity and cultural competency in all Families First Support Services activities and associations
· The implementation of innovative and flexible services that produce meaningful outcomes in the lives of people receiving services
· Listening to persons receiving services and understanding the aspirations that they have for their lives, using this information as the foundation for service design and delivery
· Exceeding the expectations of all our customers and stakeholders
· Working in collaboration with stakeholders and community organizations and partners
Goal #1: Research and gather most recent information and feedback/ideas regarding enhancing cultural competency and diversity training, as this information relates specifically to FFSS’s persons served, stakeholders, staff and FFSS’s service area.
- Cultural Competency staff trainings 2 times per year
- Cultural Competency training for foster parents 1 time per year
- Plan reviewed and approved by Board of Directors on annual basis
- Cultural Competency plan added to FFSS web site
Goal #2: Enhance annual Cultural Competency and Diversity That Promotes awareness, respect towards population served.
- Staff training 2 times each calendar year to include additional information gathered since previous train
- New employee training to begin in the initial orientation process
Goal #3: Enhance annual Cultural Competency and Diversity consumer training to include additional information gathered during the research & feedback process.
- Reserve and share all hand-outs given by MCO or other gathered information to all staff
- Share materials with all foster parents at annual trainings
Goal #4: Research tools/software necessary to effectively translate Families First Support Services consumer intake packet (and all associated documents) in a minimum of 1 alternative language.
- Ensure that FFSS environment is welcoming for all racial, ethnic, economic, religious sexual orientation and various disabilities
Goal #5: Translate Families First Support Services’ consumer intake packet (and all associated documents) and have available to persons served and stakeholders in a minimum of 1 alternative language.
Although Families First Support Services is not suggesting that our leadership and personnel need to know everything about all cultures, we feel it is imperative that our leadership and staff members develop a basic understanding of the major values and beliefs of the people we serve and other stakeholders, especially those who may come from different cultural or spiritual backgrounds. To this end, enhanced education and training – specifically in the following areas: culture, age, gender, sexual orientation, spiritual beliefs, socioeconomic status and language – will be provided to all employees and board members to assist us in developing a greater awareness and sensitivity specific to the diversity of our service delivery areas. Training will also focus on the cultural and spiritual beliefs of the countries of origin, especially their views of disabilities and its causes, and the influence of culture on the choice of service outcomes and methods. Attendance at cultural competency and diversity training will continue to be documented and included in personnel files and/or training records.
- COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT: This plan will be reviewed at least annually for relevance and updated if needed. At the end of each year, the outcomes of all five identified goals will be documented and analyzed. We are committed to utilizing the information gathered from the outcomes of our Cultural Competency and Diversity Plan for the purpose of organizational responsiveness to the changing needs and expectations of the people we serve and our stakeholders, in conjunction with the changing business needs of our agency. The analysis of these outcomes will also be used by our organization to improve the quality of our programs and services and to facilitate organizational decision making and ongoing diverse activities.
