Indigenous Health: Cultural Safety Booklet PDF

INDIGENOUS Health Cultural Safety Respect and Dignity in Relationships  WHY CULTURAL SAFETY? Indigenous peoples thrived on the lands of present day Canada This history is part of Canada and we all share a responsibility for thousands of years. About 500 years ago, Europeans bega...

INDIGENOUS Health Cultural Safety Respect and Dignity in Relationships  WHY CULTURAL SAFETY? Indigenous peoples thrived on the lands of present day Canada This history is part of Canada and we all share a responsibility for thousands of years. About 500 years ago, Europeans began for healing relationships. to arrive. By the 1900s, an explicit colonial agenda to control and assimilate Indigenous peoples was in place. How do we do this? Creating an environment of cultural safety in health care settings is one step toward healing these The impacts of this are still felt today and show up as a larger relationships. burden of ill health, loss of language and culture, dislocation and marginalization. 2 indigenous HEALTH 3  Declaration of commitment WHAT DO these terms MEAN? In 2015, all BC Health Authorities signed a Declaration Cultural humility is a lifelong journey of self-reflection and of Commitment to advance cultural humility and learning. It involves listening without judgment and being open cultural safety in the health care system. to learning from and about others. It involves learning about our own culture and our biases. Cultural humility is a building We all share a responsibility to provide the best quality care block for cultural safety. possible. Cultural humility and cultural safety are an important part of quality health care. Cultural safety is when all people feel respected and safe when they interact with the health At Northern Health, our values include empathy, respect, care system. Culturally safe health services are collaboration and innovation. When we put these values in free of racism and discrimination. People are action, we strive to honour diversity, genuinely care, and supported to draw strengths from their identity, culture and build trust through understanding. community. Cultural safety grows when these values are applied to the The journey often starts with cultural awareness – recognizing context of cultural differences. that differences and similarities exist between cultures. Learning about the histories that impact Indigenous peoples in Canada is an important part of developing cultural awareness. Cultural sensitivity grows when we start to see the influences of our own culture and acknowledge that we have biases. Cultural sensitivity is NOT about treating everyone the same. Cultural competency is about developing practical skills for interacting in respectful ways with people who are different from us. Cultural competency does not require us to become experts in cultures different from our own. Cultural safety improves as we proceed along this path of self- reflection and learning. 4 indigenous HEALTH 5  Culturally Safe Practices We all share a responsibility to develop culturally safe practices with Indigenous people. Having culturally safe practices means that you: recognize and learn about the role of history and culture in shaping health and health care experiences; foster caring relationships with the people you serve based on mutual respect and trust; increase your understanding of what wellness means for the people you serve; engage in self-reflection to learn about your biases and assumptions; reflect on the inherent power dynamics in the health care Culturally Safe system; and Health Care Systems honour people’s experiences of the health care system. Many factors contribute to a culturally safe health care system, including: training on cultural safety and humility; reviewing and developing organizational policies for cultural safety; articulating a clear and accessible complaints process; fostering a commitment to evaluation, reporting, and continuous improvement of cultural safety and humility across the system; making efforts to ensure the workforce representatively includes Indigenous leadership and staff across all levels; ensuring physical environments reflect local Indigenous communities and cultures; supporting leadership’s commitment to cultural safety and humility; and partnering with local Indigenous communities and organizations. 6 indigenous HEALTH 7  © 2017 Northern Health. This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial use, in full or in part, without permission provided the source is fully acknowledged. Recommended citation: Indigenous Health. (2017). Cultural Safety: Respect and Dignity in Relationships. Prince George, BC: Northern Health. Turtle, dragonfly, bear and hummingbird are from artwork by Carla Aubichon Joseph, an Indigenous artist in Prince George, BC. [email protected] This document is available online at: www.indigenoushealthnh.ca Indigenous Health, Suite 600 - 299 Victoria Street Prince George, BC V2L 5B8 T 250-649-7226 F 250-565-2640 [email protected] 10-307-6033 (IND03/17)