IPS also provides General Cultural Competency Intervention Programs which focus upon the development of culturally competent organisations for non-mental health specific organisations. These programs can be tailored to the specific needs of each organisation and are ideal for those who wish to:
- ensure the cultural competence of their staff
- ensure that Aboriginal workers are able to contribute equally to the organisational outcomes and goals
- increase their Aboriginal employee numbers by having recruitment processes that are culturally appropriate
- have specific strategies in place which present their organisation as culturally appropriate to the Aboriginal community, and
- finally ensure that Aboriginal people have a strong career pathway in the organisation.
There are a range of services that are available for organisations under the General Cultural Competency Programs provided by IPS including:
- DEFINING ORGANISATIONAL CULTURAL COMPETENCY AND NEEDS OF ABORIGINAL EMPLOYEES
IPS has developed two new tests which enable their programs to be designed and evaluated specifically to the unique needs of each organisation. These include;
- The General Cultural Competency Profile (GCCP) which assesses the cultural competencies of staff, and
- The Cultural Needs Scale (CNS) which is completed by Aboriginal employees and looks at their perceptions regarding cultural barriers to retention and progression within the organisation.
Once completed online, staff then receive a comprehensive profile which ensures that there is not only awareness of their professional and cultural support needs but which also provides specific direction and strategies to achieve these goals.
DELIVERING CULTURAL COMPETENCY INTERVENTION PROGRAMS FOR ABORIGINAL AND NON-ABORIGINAL STAFF
Once staff have completed the online tests, IPS analyses the results to determine the cultural competencies or supports needs of all staff. This is vital as it enables a baseline to be set against which to measure the success of any program provided by IPS or even internal cultural support programs improvements over time. It also enables IPS to specifically target any cultural competency program in line with areas of need identified by group test outcomes
The results of the GCCP and CNS are then assessed and a program custom designed and delivered which enables the core areas of cultural competency need to be targeted and improved.
IPS delivers training programs which have a proven track record of improving the cultural competencies of participants. The General Programs include:
- Cultural Competency for Supervisors of Aboriginal People
- Staying Deadly in the workplace – a retention training program for Aboriginal People (download brochure here)