Policy

The tasks of investigating, assessing and providing relevant services to a family must take into account the culturally acceptable standards for child rearing within a given community.

Rationale

It is important for a worker not to view the child rearing practices of diverse cultures as detrimental to a child's well being merely because they differ from their own or the norm of the majority group.

At the same time, workers must not accept practices that are harmful to the child by automatically justifying them as reflective of cultural, class or religious differences.

Gathering complete information is important when assessing harm or risk of harm to the child, as is the necessity of understanding the cultural context within which behavior occurs. What is considered an unacceptable practice by the majority culture may not be viewed as harmful within its cultural context.

With recognition to the different child rearing practices of various cultural groups, while not exhaustive, the following issues should be considered. Information gleaned from the family’s responses will provide the basis for assessing harm or risk to the child, with recognition to the different child rearing practices of various cultural groups.

• Which persons are commonly expected to share in child rearing responsibilities? What is the role of older persons or extended family members in assuming caretaking responsibilities?

• Who is the source of ultimate authority in the family? The investigator should identify that person and relate to him/her as much as possible. For example, although in the traditional Latino family, the mother is the primary child raiser, the father is considered the decision-maker and head of the household. Therefore, the father may have to be involved in any decisions concerning the welfare of the child.

• How geographically mobile is the family?

• The worker should recognize that lifestyles of families will differ significantly, whether the family lives in an urban, suburban or rural environment.

• What are the differing views of men/boys and women/girls in the culture? How does this affect the disciplining of the child?

• What are the cultural group’s attitudes toward child birth among unmarried adults?

• If the worker observes a practice in the home that he/she is not familiar with, he/she should not hesitate to ask the family to explain and discuss the cultural significance of the practice.

The worker’s inability to speak the family’s language will affect all interactions. The absence of a common language may lead to miscommunication and to misunderstanding. Where lack of a common language exists, the worker should use an interpreter. The feelings, perceptions, and possible misperceptions of the interpreter, however, may be introduced into the translations. Therefore, when possible, work with the family should be done by a worker who speaks the same language as the family.

A variety of sources should be explored when an interpreter is needed. When internal Department resources are unavailable, the worker should seek assistance from

• Regional Resource Group
• local cultural consultants/agencies
• religious organizations
• universities.

Supervisory personnel will play a key role in identifying sources for interpreters. The confidentiality of the information must be stressed at all times.

The worker who must rely on the indirect communication process should consider learning at least a small repertoire of phrases in the individual’s language.

Familiar words and terms should be used while avoiding a patronizing tone, slang or unfamiliar dialect. In addition to facilitating communication, this technique will convey the worker’s awareness of the cultural differences and assist the development of rapport.