Cultural Safety in Evaluation

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Cultural Safety in Evaluation

• Debbie King
• Success Works

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Relevant Experience

• Evaluation of Aboriginal Family Violence
  Prevention Legal Services (ATSIC)
• Evaluation of the Victorian Koori Drug Diversion
  Program (DHS)
• Evaluation of Queenslands Indigenous Alcohol
  Diversion Program (DPC Qld)
• Evaluation of Aboriginal Family Violence Regional
  Activities Program (FAHCSIA)
• Victorian Women from Culturally and
  Linguistically Diverse Communities (DPCD)
• Experiences of women from CALD and ATSI
  backgrounds (Royal Womens Hospital)

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Cultural safety

• A process by which an evaluator reflects on their
  own cultural identity and recognises the impact
  of their own personal culture on his or her
  professional practice.
• Evaluators must create an environment which is
  safe for people where there is no assault,
  challenge or denial of their identity, of who
  they are or what they need (Williams, 2002).
• Unsafe cultural practice comprises any action
  which diminishes, demeans or disempowers the
  cultural identity and wellbeing of an individual
  or a community (MacManus et al, 2004).

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Cultural Values

• Geert Hofstede (1997, 2005) identified cultural
  differences between IBM staff in 64 countries.
• Validated through comparisons of students in 23
  countries, elites in 19 countries, commercial
  airline pilots in 23 countries, up-market
  consumers in 15 countries, and civil service
  managers in 14 countries.
• Examines cultures across five dimensions

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Five Cultural Dimensions

• Power distance an expectation that power will be
  distributed unequally.
• Individualism the degree to which individuals
  are integrated into groups
• Masculinity highly masculine countries are very
  assertive and competitive while less masculine
  ones are more aligned to feminine values of
  modesty and caring.
• Uncertainty avoidance the capacity for a society
  to tolerate uncertainty and ambiguity.
  Uncertainty avoiding cultures adhere to strict
  laws and rules and have a belief in absolute
  Truth
• Future orientation the fostering of virtues
  oriented towards future rewards versus a belief
  in the value of the past (eg respect for
  tradition, preservation of face and the need to
  fulfill social obligations)

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Cultural Safety Continuum

• Cultural Sensitivity

Cultural Sensitivity
Cultural Competence
Cultural Ease
Cultural Safety
Cultural Awareness
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In Practice - Whats different?

• Approach
• Data Collection
• Analysis
• Presentation

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Approach

• Introductions
• Interpreters
• Individuals or groups
• Rewards and incentives

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Data Collection

• Questions
• Listening
• Understanding
• Being polite

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Analysis

• Understanding obligations
• Culture
• History
• Social Mores

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Reporting

• Cultural bias
• Underlying paradigms
• Presentation of results