Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

NAME: Deric Batt

AGENCY: Muncie OUTreach
Sec. 1: The Elements of Culture
1. The agency acknowledges that culture is an integral part of the physical, emotional,
intellectual, and overall development and well-being of children, youth, and their
families.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

2. The agency considers cultural factors such as language, race, ethnicity, customs, family
structure, sexual orientation, and tribal and/or community dynamics when planning and
designing programs and services.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

3. The agency considers cultural factors such as language, race, ethnicity, customs, family
structure, sexual orientation, and tribal and/or community dynamics when delivering
programs and services.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

4. The agency respects the culture, diversity, and rights of the children, youth, and families
it serves.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

5. The agency respects the culture, diversity, and rights of its staff and service providers.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

6. The agencys programs, services, and practice acknowledge, respect, and respond to the
various culturally defined needs of the children, youth, and families it serves.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

Additional Comments and/or Recommendations

OUTreach appears to do a great job ensuring respect is paid to everyone.
Section 2: The Agencys Mission

E
Dont Know

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

1. The agencys mission statement reflects its commitment to serve the culturally diverse
children, youth, and families in its service population.
A
Disagree

B
C
Somewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree

D
Agree

E
Dont Know

2. The agencys staff is familiar with and understands the mission of the agency.
A
Disagree

B
C
Somewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree

D
Agree

E
Dont Know

3. The agencys practices and its administrative policies and procedures acknowledge the
need for services to culturally diverse families, tribes, and/or communities.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

4. To provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to the children, youth, and
families being served, the agency personnel manual specifically outlines the agencys
mission and principles for a diverse workforce.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

5. The agencys public relations materials (for example, brochures, pamphlets, and the
agencys website) specifically outline services to culturally diverse communities.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

Additional Comments and/or Recommendations:

Judging only on what Ive witnessed and have been able to see, the staff of Muncie OUTreach is
knowledgeable about and compassionate towards the individuals and populations they serve.
Having not seen the agencys personnel manual, I cannot speak to that.

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

Section 3: Governance and The Board of Directors

1. The agencys mission statement and goals recognize the cultural and ethnic diversity of
the communities served by the agency and reflect a commitment to serve these children,
youth, and families responsively and competently.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

2. The agencys management staff includes the agencys mission statement and goals,
including references to cultural competence and ethnic diversity, in all written materials
that define the purpose of the agency.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

3. The board periodically monitors and evaluates the agencys goals and process for
achieving cultural competence by conducting annual service population surveys.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

4. The membership of the agencys board of directors reflects the cultural diversity of the
populations served by the agency.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

5. The agency leadership and board collects and analyzes demographic and statistical
information on culturally diverse communities for use in the planning process.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

6. The agency leadership and board develop goals and objectives for allocating resources
and delivering services in a manner that addresses the needs of the children, youth, and
families served.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

7. The agency leadership and board involve representatives of various cultural and ethnic
communities in the planning process.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

8. The agency leadership and board members receive training in planning methods to
specifically meet the needs of culturally diverse families and communities.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

9. The board supports the development, coordination, and integration of services t serve
children, youth, and families in a culturally and linguistically appropriate and effective
manner.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

10. The agency leadership and board actively promote the recruitment of culturally diverse
staff members.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

11. The agency leadership and board support the provision of relevant cultural competence
training for all agency staff.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

Additional Comments and/or Recommendations:

I have no experience with the board of this organization.

E
Dont Know

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

Section 4: The Chief Executive

1. The chief executive of the agency is responsible for articulating and implementing the
agencys mission statement and goals relative to cultural competency.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

2. The chief executive works with the agency leadership to ensure that staff at all levels are
recruited from culturally diverse communities that reflect and represent the children,
youth, and families served.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

3. The chief executive and agency leadership ensures that the agencys staff reflects the
culturally diverse communities served.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

4. Staff members possess the knowledge and experience to work effectively with culturally
diverse communities.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

5. The agency has enough staff who are proficient in writing and speaking the languages of
the children, youth, and families served to communicate with them easily and to
adequately meet their needs.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

6. The chief executive and agency leadership work with culturally diverse communities and
organizations on special projects and activities addressing multicultural issues.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

7. The agencys leadership informs culturally diverse businesses, faith-based groups,

fraternal associations, and other cultural and ethnic organizations about agency services
and programs and seeks their support for the agencys mission.

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

8. The agencys leadership staff advertises the agencys special events in culturally and
linguistically diverse print and broadcast media, and through community information
networks and organizations representing culturally diverse groups.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

9. The agencys leadership seeks information from culturally diverse business, faith-based
groups, fraternal associations, and other cultural and ethnic organizations about the needs
of families and the resources available to them in the community.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

10. The agency collects and analyzes demographic information on the culturally diverse
population served and uses the data in its advocacy activities.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

11. The agency informs local and state government representatives and legislators about the
impact of legislative proposals on culturally and linguistically diverse families, tribes,
and/or communities.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

Additional Comments and/or Recommendations:

I have no experience or knowledge of the CEO of this organization.

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

Section 5: The Community
1. The agency leadership and management are knowledgeable about federal and state
statues and regulations that relate to culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

2. The agency consults with organizations, advocates, and outside experts who represent the
cultural and ethnic groups in the communities served before finalizing programs and
policies that may have a cultural impact.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

3. The agency advocates for programs, policies, and services that support the various
cultural and ethnic communities it serves.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

4. The agency collects, maintains, and analyzes culturally specific demographic data on
service providers, the service population, and the broader community.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

5. The agency has a clear process for evaluating the short-term and long-term effectiveness
of its programs and policies relative to culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
A
Disagree

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

6. The agency consults with cultural and ethnic community organizations to learn more
about the effectiveness and responsiveness of its programs and services.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

7. The agency includes a description of a policys effectiveness on the culturally diverse

communities served by the agency.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

8. The agency reviews the policy statements of community cultural and ethnic advocacy
organizations and incorporates statements that are relevant to its own program and policy
development process.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

9. The agencys administrators establish mechanisms that include families and all levels of
staff, including paraprofessionals, in the process of setting policies and procedures.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

10. The agencys policies and procedures reflect a respect for and responsiveness to the
service needs of culturally diverse children, youth, and families.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

11. The agency advertises staff vacancies in culturally and linguistically diverse print and
broadcast media and through community information networks and organizations
representing diverse communities.
A
B
Rarely Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

12. The agencys job descriptions indicate that candidates must have experience and skills
serving culturally and ethnically diverse families and communities.
A
B
Rarely Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

13. The agency actively seeks individuals from culturally and ethnically diverse communities
when recruiting new staff.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

14. The agency provides all staff with continuous cultural competency training and
information relevant to its mission, service population, and the responsibilities of agency
staff.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

15. The agency provides advancement opportunities for staff members who demonstrate,
among other skills, cultural competency.
A
B
Rarely Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

Additional Comments and/or Recommendations:

My assumption based on the website and my experience with OUTreach, seems to
indicate that there are not many actual employees of this organization. The organization seems to
run weekly meetings and do some outside advocacy and outreach. At this, I am not aware of how
much of their hiring and employment practices work.
Outside of this, the organization did a lot of talking about new policies and proposals in
this state, seeking input from their clients and expressing their concern over policies that
discriminate against their client base. This was really interesting, as the Religious Freedom
Restoration Act was being debated. The organization also spoke about their work with other
organizations and broadly advertises these organizations through their online presence.

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

Section 6: Training
1. The agency provides ongoing training to staff on cross-cultural communication, culturally
diverse family customs, culturally competent case practice, and conflict resolution within
different cultural groups.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

2. The agency offers frequent professional development opportunities for staff to examine
their own cultural beliefs and attitudes to obtain a better understanding of the dynamics of
cultural difference and interactions.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

3. Agency staff is given opportunities to become knowledgeable about federal and state
statues and regulations that relate to culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

4. The agency staff learns as much as possible about the cultures of their service population
and that populations values, beliefs, customs, and languages.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

5. The agency staff conducts culturally competent assessments of the children, youth, and
families they serve and develop culturally appropriate case plans for them.
A
B
C
D
E
Rarely
Sometimes
Almost Always
Always
Dont Know
6. The agency staff involves families in developing case plans and setting culturally
appropriate goals.
A
B
Rarely Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

7. The agency staff considers the availability of community resources, including cultural
and ethnic organizations, in the case planning process.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

8. Whenever possible, the agency staff work with families in settings that are comfortable
and familiar to them.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

9. The agency staff works with families to develop and/or maintain cultural supports in their
families, tribes, and/or communities.
A
B
Rarely Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

10. The agency staff empower families by using their cultural strengths and informal support
networks in service delivery.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

11. The agency staff consider the impact of acculturation, assimilation, and varied historical
perspectives on programs and on the cultural or ethnic communities being served.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

12. The agencys line supervisors and workers understand child-rearing practices and family
functioning from the cultural perspective of the various communities served.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

13. The agencys supervisors provide support and guidance to staff in applying their
knowledge of cultural competence to decisions about intervention and service delivery.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

14. The agencys outreach, information activities, and preventive services are designed to
meet the needs of culturally and ethnically diverse communities.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

15. The agencys outreach services are provided in culturally and ethnically diverse
communities and neighborhoods or at other locations familiar to the children, youth, and
families it serves.

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

16. The agency makes bilingual services available when needed to requested by the children,
youth, and families it serves.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

17. In making placement decisions, the agency considers the impact of culture and ethnicity
on children, youth, and their families.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

18. The agency evaluates service and program outcomes on the basis of culturally relevant
objectives developed with the families served.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

19. The agency includes family input in assessing the level of cultural competence in service
delivery.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

20. The agency has clearly written strategies for conducting culturally competent advocacy
and assigns responsibility for implementing the strategy to designated staff.
A
Rarely

B
Sometimes

C
Almost Always

D
Always

E
Dont Know

Additional Comments and/or Recommendations:

I cannot speak about the staffs training, but the staff does seem to be very interested and
self-driven in keeping up to date on developments and new issues the LGBT population faces.
They also seem open to working with families, though families do not always reciprocate.

Section 7 Client/Customer Observations

1. I felt comfortable when I went to Muncie OUTreach. Yes/No

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

Comments/Suggestions: I have nothing put positive things to say about the level of
comfortability I felt at OUTreach. Nothing to suggest.
2. I was made to feel welcome by agency staff when at the agency offices. Yes/No
Comments/Suggestions: The staff (one member, to my knowledge, a few volunteers and
an intern) was very friendly, welcoming, and nice. They did get a bit protective of their
clients and initially sought to push some pretty heavy forms about confidentiality and
liability to me. This changed quickly, but I get the reason for the need, as the population
is often targeted and discriminated against.
3. The environment and surroundings of the agencys office included representatives of my
community. Yes/No
Comments/Suggestions: The area surrounding the building OUTreach is located in (the
Universal Unitarian Church in Muncie) is a bit nicer and more upscale than most of
Muncie. Its not so upper class that it is awkward to be a poorer individual there,
however.
4. I understood the documents, materials, and information that are provided by the agency.
Yes/No
Comments/Suggestions: All of the material was in simple enough language and
welcoming enough.
5. I was able to communicate with agency staff in my first or primary language. Yes/No
Comments/Suggestions: Speaking English is not uncommon here.
6. I was able to communicate successfully with agency staff in my second or non-primary
language. Yes/No
Comments/Suggestions: I dont have a second language.
7. I noted customers felt comfortable with the agency staff who worked with them. Yes/No
Comments/Suggestions: The clients here were very comfortable, with everyone being
very open (even in the presence of two visitors they seemingly did not know) and
honest. It was pretty nice to see.
8. The staff seemed to care about customers needs. Yes/No
Comments/Suggestions: The staff seemed very close to the clients.

Cultural Competency Agency Self-Assessment Instrument

9. The staff members were interested in learning and understanding more about culture.
Yes/No
Comments/Suggestions: The staff seemed to be interested in accommodating the clients,
including three transgender individuals. For this population, the staff was clear to address
areas they did not understand and to ask questions to clarify individuals thoughts and
preferences.
10. The agency staff treated customers with respect. Yes/No
Comments/Suggestions: The staff was open and brutally honest about everything, while
still being very empathetic. With one exception.
11. The agency staff provided good services. Yes/No
Comments/Suggestions: The staff primarily ran a support group while I was there, but it
was clear they had plans and sessions that address certain areas of need for the LGBT
population. They also seemed to have private conversations about seemingly sensitive
things.
12. The agency provides good services that meet the needs of people who go there for
support. Yes/No
Comments/Suggestions: This is my big issue. The staff was very nice and offered a ton
of support for individuals who can be ostracized in day to day life. While I felt that the
staff generally provided good services, I have to admit that there were moments in which
the staff ignored issues that probably needed to be addressed. One instance involved a
member discussing, and bragging about, a very serious form of financial fraud. The staff
never really called this out and let it pass. While I understand the staff sets out to work
with LGBT individuals on LGBT issues, the idea that they would not call out such things
appears to me to either be a sign of too specific an aim in terms of services or too loose a
moral and ethical standard.
13. The agencys staff represents all cultures and the local community. Yes/No
Comments/Suggestions: The staff is so small that it cannot resemble more than a few
aspects of society. The bigger worry would be if such a small staff identified as enough
things to cover the make-up of society, as someone would have to be lying big time.
Section 8
Extra Credit Write a thorough summary of each section with a recommendation for
improvement