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Guide fosters sensitivity to ethnic families

A new toolkit from the National Family and Parenting Institute (NFPI) aims to help practitioners in integrated settings and schools become more culturally aware when dealing with black and minority ethnic families. 'Cultural Competence in Family Support' was developed in response to an NFPI study in 2003, which highlighted that many minority ethnic families faced persistent barriers to services because of their ethnicity, racial background, faith affiliation, social class, literacy levels or lack of access to resources.
A new toolkit from the National Family and Parenting Institute (NFPI) aims to help practitioners in integrated settings and schools become more culturally aware when dealing with black and minority ethnic families.

'Cultural Competence in Family Support' was developed in response to an NFPI study in 2003, which highlighted that many minority ethnic families faced persistent barriers to services because of their ethnicity, racial background, faith affiliation, social class, literacy levels or lack of access to resources.

The toolkit contains information on the main UK religions, anti-discrimination guidelines and advice on being sensitive to a family's cultural context.

Mary MacLeod, NFPI chief executive, said, 'Every practitioner working with families strives for self-awareness to improve practice, before taking action and thinking about one's own cultural position and what it represents. The toolkit can be applied to the family in any community in a range of contexts from healthcare to parenting.'

'Cultural Competence in Family Support: A Toolkit for Working with Black, Minority Ethnic and Faith Families' by Fatima Husain is available from Lavenham Press on 01787 249287, priced at 29.