Increasing the Cultural Responsiveness of Family Group Conferencing

Abstract

Child welfare struggles to manage child abuse and neglect and to seek permanency for children, while being culturally responsive to the communities it serves. Family group conferencing, piloted in New Zealand and now used in the United States and other countries, is a strengths-based model that brings together families and their support systems to develop and carry out a plan that protects, nurtures, and safeguards children and other family members. This article describes the model and a culturally competent method for assessing and adapting the model for the African American, Cherokee, and Latino/Hispanic communities in North Carolina.

Experiences of Parenting Classes for Mexican American Mothers Parenting Alone: Offering Culturally Responsive Approaches

“…We worked from a strength-based, non-pathologizing stance and considered the participant's families within their socio-political and socio-cultural contexts while paying special attention to their neighborhoods, communities, and support systems (Waites et al, 2004). We asked about their values, worldviews, and life experiences as suggested by Latino and non-Latino scholars (i.e., Castro, Barrera, & Martínez, 2004;Waites et al, 2004;Bernal, Bonilla, & Bellido, 1995). Efforts were made to implement the classes in a culturally sensitive manner.…”

“…For the above mentioned factors and many others, culturally responsive parenting classes may be especially relevant and beneficial. Working toward becoming culturally competent is an important first step (Waites, Macgowan, Pennell, Carlton-Laney, & Weil, 2004;Bean, Perry, & Bedell, 2001;Weaver & Wodarksi, 1995). Although many interventionists are culturally sensitive in their approach, many scholars and interventionists use the terms culturally competent, culturally sensitive, and culturally responsive interchangeably.…”

“…Attention to the traditions, values, worldviews, and life experiences of the cultural groups in question is also paramount (Castro, Barrera, & Martínez, 2004;Waites et al, 2004;Bernal, Bonilla, & Bellido, 1995). Carlson et al (2004) suggest a theoretically informed model for developing a culturally responsive approach to working with Latinos in therapy.…”

Linking family engagement with a rights perspective: macro factors influencing practice

“…Examples of recent research reports have included descriptions of the intervention and issues in implementation (Darlington, et al, 2010), its utilization in specific settings (Rauktis, et al, 2010), and challenges to adapting the model to various cultural groups (Waites, et al, 2004).…”

Integrated case management : a preliminary study to determine what helps and what hinders - the parent perspective

“…Aboriginal children and families (Waites, Macgowan, Pennell, Carlton-LaNey, & Weil, 2004). Criticism ofFGC in Canada has, nevertheless, been most vigorous from Aboriginal women and has been brought into disrepute and even discredited entirely, in some Aboriginal settings (Bazemore et al , 1997).…”