Cultural Competency: A Self-Assessment Guide for Human Service Organizations

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Introduction
Cultural competency refers to a set of congruent
behaviors, attitudes and policies that enables
human service organizations to work effectively
with various racial, ethnic, religious and linguistic groups. It
is compatible with the fundamental principles of respect,
equality and diversity that Canada has long embraced. As
Canadian society continues to transform into a tapestry of
colors, customs, languages, accents, beliefs, values and
talents, human service organizations need to view cultural
competency not as an add-on option, but rather as an integrated
core business requirement for effective practices.
In the past two decades, there have been many celebrated
efforts among non-profit and government agencies
to promote inclusiveness in human services. Still, the challenge
of providing culturally responsive services to all
Canadians remains persistent. People from various racial,
ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds continue to
express their concerns of having limited access to culturally
relevant services. Funding bodies face ongoing struggles
to establish clear funding assessment criteria to promote
equitable services. Agencies search for more innovative
ways to deliver services that are responsive to cultural
diversity in Canada.