Reflection on Practice: Relativism, Dogmatism or Cultural Competency

1
Reflection on Practice Relativism, Dogmatism or
Cultural Competency?

• Supporting Black and Minority Ethnic Parents
  Conference
• Sharing and learning
• 19th June 2006

Momodou Sallah
2
Black Childrens Different Realities

• Construction of social reality

• Eurocentric vs. sociocentric

CHILDREN
Minority culture
Dominant culture
Youth sub-culture
3
Praxis in Relation to Black Children
Reports into the deaths of Black children
provide evidence of a lack of intervention in
situations where Black children were at obvious
risk of suffering significant harm from their
parentsreports identify that stereotyping of
Black families and a reluctance on the part of
white professionals to intervene for fear of
being accused of racism influenced practice
(Dutt Philips 200040)

• Eurocentric model of parenting is not the best
• Black childrearing practices are not respected
• Deep suspicion of Social Services (Sallah 2005)

4
Blackification Process

• London Boroughs of Ealing, Brent, Haringey and
  Enfield
• The following Health Authorities Brent and
  Harrow, Enfield and Haringey, North West London
  Hospitals NHS Trust, and North West London
  Hospitals NHS Trust, and North Middlesex Hospital
  NHS Trust
• London Metropolitan Police Force
• Was it a freak, a sheer coincidence, that each
  of these agencies allocated black workers to deal
  with Victorias case (Bempah 2003)

5
Relativism vs. Dogmatism
Dogmatism
Cultural competency
Relativism
Be competent enough to be able to make informed
decisions
Everything under the sun goes by, it is theirs!
Ours is the best, in fact the only good one!
6
Way Forward

• Clear, well thought out strategic plan, not
  reactive fire fighting
• Focus on training for cultural competency and not
  the blackification of personnel
• Explore practice in relation to values at the
  personal, local, national and global levels