Cultural Competency in Practice – International Institute for Adults Learning

About Course

Every day, professionals who work with children and families make judgements: how to read a child’s behaviour, how to describe a family in a report, whether to refer, exclude or support. Those judgements are shaped by our own culture and assumptions, often without us noticing.

Cultural Competency in Practice, written by Rachel Cole, helps you notice, question and act more fairly. Through diagrams, real-life scenarios, interactive activities and reflection, you will build practical skills you can use the next day at work.

What you will learn

What cultural competence and cultural humility mean in everyday practice
Where unconscious bias comes from and practical ways to interrupt it
How cultural narratives shape who we sympathise with and who we judge
How to apply an intersectional lens and see the whole person
How to use accurate, respectful language in conversations and reports
How to advocate for children and families within the UK legal framework

Course structure

Module 1: What Is Cultural Competence?
Module 2: Recognising and Addressing Unconscious Bias
Module 3: Changing the Narrative
Module 4: Understanding Intersectionality
Module 5: The Power of Labels and Language
Module 6: Advocacy and Inclusive Practice
Final Assessment

How you are assessed

Each module ends with a short practice check for learning only. You can retake these as often as you like and any score is fine. The final assessment has 24 questions, four from each module. Pass with 70% or more (up to three attempts) to receive your IIFAL CPD Certificate. There are no written assignments or tutor marking.

Developed and quality-assured by IIFAL. This is a CPD course designed and quality-assured by IIFAL. It is not a regulated qualification and is not accredited by Ofqual or any external body.

Course Content

Getting Started
Welcome to the course: what it covers, how it works and how your learning is checked.

Welcome to the Course

Module 1: What Is Cultural Competence?
What cultural competence means, why it matters, the four elements that make it up, and the myths that get in the way.

Module 2: Recognising and Addressing Unconscious Bias
Where unconscious bias comes from, how it shows up in everyday interactions, and practical strategies to interrupt it.

Module 3: Changing the Narrative
How the stories we grow up with shape who we sympathise with and who we judge, and how those narratives show up in schools, care and the justice system.

Module 4: Understanding Intersectionality
How overlapping identities shape people's experiences, why single-issue thinking falls short, and how to apply an intersectional lens in practice.

Module 5: The Power of Labels and Language
How the words we use shape perception and decisions, and how to write and speak about children and families accurately and respectfully.

Module 6: Advocacy and Inclusive Practice
What advocacy means in everyday practice, the UK legal framework behind it, and how to tell real advocacy from performative gestures.

Final Assessment
Review the key ideas from every module, then take the final assessment. Pass with 70% or more to receive your IIFAL CPD Certificate.

Add this certificate to your resume to demonstrate your skills & increase your chances of getting noticed.

Student Ratings & Reviews

No Review Yet

About Course

What you will learn

Course structure

How you are assessed

What Will You Learn?

Course Content

Getting Started Welcome to the course: what it covers, how it works and how your learning is checked.

Welcome to the Course

Module 1: What Is Cultural Competence? What cultural competence means, why it matters, the four elements that make it up, and the myths that get in the way.

1.1 What Does Cultural Competence Mean?

1.2 Why Cultural Competence Matters

1.3 The Four Elements of Cultural Competence

1.4 Reflecting on Your Cultural Lens

1.5 Myths About Cultural Competence

1.6 Activity: Key Terms

Module 1 Practice Check

Module 2: Recognising and Addressing Unconscious Bias Where unconscious bias comes from, how it shows up in everyday interactions, and practical strategies to interrupt it.

2.1 Where Unconscious Bias Comes From

2.2 Recognising Bias in Everyday Interactions

2.3 Strategies to Interrupt Bias

2.4 Consistency, Not Perfection

Module 2 Practice Check

Module 3: Changing the Narrative How the stories we grow up with shape who we sympathise with and who we judge, and how those narratives show up in schools, care and the justice system.

3.1 What Are Cultural Narratives?

3.2 Who Do We Sympathise With, and Why?

3.3 Activity: Flip the Story

3.4 Real-Life Parallels

3.5 Storytelling and System Bias

Module 3 Practice Check

Module 4: Understanding Intersectionality How overlapping identities shape people's experiences, why single-issue thinking falls short, and how to apply an intersectional lens in practice.

4.1 What Is Intersectionality?

4.2 Why Intersectionality Matters in Care and Work

4.3 Case Study: Seeing the Whole Young Person

4.4 Applying Intersectionality in Practice

Module 4 Practice Check

Module 5: The Power of Labels and Language How the words we use shape perception and decisions, and how to write and speak about children and families accurately and respectfully.

5.1 Why Language Matters

5.2 What Do These Labels Mean?

5.3 Media and Perception

5.4 Inclusive Language in Conversations

5.5 Inclusive Language in Reports

5.6 Putting It Together: Reframing Language

Module 5 Practice Check

Module 6: Advocacy and Inclusive Practice What advocacy means in everyday practice, the UK legal framework behind it, and how to tell real advocacy from performative gestures.

6.1 What Is Advocacy?

6.2 What Makes Practice Inclusive?

6.3 Advocacy or Performative Gesture?

6.4 Speaking With Purpose

6.5 Scenario: Advocacy in Action

Module 6 Practice Check

Final Assessment Review the key ideas from every module, then take the final assessment. Pass with 70% or more to receive your IIFAL CPD Certificate.

Before Your Final Assessment

Final Assessment: Cultural Competency in Practice

Earn a certificate