CADD CORNER: Language Needs and Cultural Congruence

By Virginia Rondero Hernandez

An estimated 57 percent of foreign-born California residents surveyed in 2012 spoke English less than “very well” (Gambino, Acosta & Grieco, 2014). Assuming this estimate prevails, it calls into question the language needs of state residents that do not have command of the English language and the implications for service delivery. Since culture pairs with language to shape understanding, addressing the language needs of those who are not fluent in English is essential in order to reduce service access barriers and increase cultural and linguistic competency in service delivery.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health (USDHHS-OMH) has taken the lead in addressing the needs of individuals with limited English-speaking ability. In 2013, this agency developed the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (CLAS) (USDHHS-OMH, 2013). The CLAS Standards align with the guiding principles of the NASW Standards for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice (2005) and address leadership and workforce, communication and language assistance, community engagement, continuous improvement and accountability that supports the delivery of services that reflect cultural congruence. Cultural congruence occurs when interactions between agency personnel and clients are culturally sensitive (Myers Schim & Doorenboos, 2010) and linguistically appropriate (Constantino, Malgady, & Primavera, 2009) for those served.

Cultural congruence also assumes an adequate bilingual/bicultural workforce is present. This currently is not the case for most human service agencies in the state. However, several departments and schools of social work in California have initiated and sustained efforts to graduate culturally and linguistically proficient practitioners for today’s workforce. Azusa Pacific University, Fresno State, San José State and the University of California Berkeley have developed specific courses and student learning experiences in Spanish. Although Spanish is the most highly represented language spoken at home by California residents, bilingual/bicultural social workers are also needed to serve non-English speaking residents, e.g. Hmong, Chinese, Russian, etc. It is anticipated that private and public funding sources, such as the HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training grant opportunity, will increase so that more agencies can develop and/or expand a culturally and linguistically workforce and services.

REFERENCES

Costantino, G. Malgady, R.G. & Primavera, L.H. (2009). Congruence between culturally competent treatment and cultural needs of older Latinos. Journal of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, 77(5), 941–949. doi: 10.1037/a0016341.

Gambino, C. P., Yesenia D. Acosta, Y.D., and Grieco, E.M. (2014). English-speaking ability of the foreign- born population in the United States: 2012. American Community Survey Reports, ACS-26. Washington, D.C: U.S. Census Bureau, National Association of Social Workers (2015). NASW standards for cultural competence in social work practice. Washington, D.C.: National Association of Social Workers.

Meyers Schim, S. & Doorenboos, A.Z. (2010). A three-dimensional model of cultural congruence: Framework for intervention. Journal of Social Work in End of Life, and Palliative Care, 6(3-4): 256–270. doi:10.1080/15524256.2010.529023.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health (2013). Think cultural health: Advancing health equity at every point of contact. Retrieved from https://www.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/content/clas.asp.