Appendix:
Cultural Safety Principles
PRINCIPLE 1: Broad definition of culture of people and organisations
- Broad definition of personal culture and identity to include lifeworlds and worldviews
- Culture is learned and dynamic
- All people have culture and ethnicity
- Ethnicity DOES NOT equal culture which includes gender, sexuality, occupation, age, class
- Society and humans are co-creating e.g. race is a social not a biological fact
- There are multiple realities and no universally agreed definitions of health
- Organisations /professions/staff groups all work within and have cultures
PRINCIPLE 2: Ongoing critical reflection for institutional and personal cultural awareness for social change
- Extension of ongoing practice of critical reflection and awareness
- Acknowledge that our social position and cultures can impose limitations on practice
- Understand our own beliefs, attitudes and values and their origin
- Acknowledge power and privilege
- Organisations support critical reflection on practice and cultural dominance
- Acknowledge the heritage and ongoing impact of cultural colonial imperialism
- Commit to decolonise institutional and professional practice
- Reflect on colonial history and ongoing health impacts
- Be open to and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, perspectives and experiences
- Commit to anti- oppressive policy and practice
- Accept that cultural differences exist and are legitimate
- Be open to, respect and include all marginalised people
PRINCIPLE 3: Biculturalism
- All human interactions have cultural dimensions
- All interactions between 2 people involve at least 2 personal cultures [+ the culture of the organisation, society]
- People are not homogenous; those who share a nationality, ethnicity, a generation or other identifiers may have different values, beliefs, priorities, attitudes, socio-political experience
- Respects uniqueness of individuals and that people and families are the experts on their cultures
PRINCIPLE 4: Social justice through partnerships, power sharing, negotiation
- Service providers and professions are responsible for eliminating attitudes and improving policy, service design and delivery
- Commit to human rights including advocacy for equitable distribution of resources
- Challenge racisms, ageism, sexism, ableism, hetero-dominance, class privilege, ethnocentrisms
- Actively reducing power differences
- Acquisition of trust
- Focus on relationships
- Open, non-judgemental communication
- Underpinned by the social determinants of health and awareness of structural inequality to avoid victim blaming
- Focus on how society treats people differently not on how people differ
- Challenge negative attitudes by those in positions of power in organisational cultures i.e. do not demean, diminish or disempower any person
- Flexible, open staff and services to change dominating practices i.e. safety defined by the users of services
Citation: Cox, L. (2018). Cultural Safety Principles, SON, QUT. Acknowledgement: These principles synthesised and articulated by Leonie Cox from reading of:
Ramsden, I. (2002). Cultural Safety and Nursing Education in Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu: A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing. Victoria University of Wellington.
