Programme of Seminars

The well-being of children is the responsibility of individuals, statutory organisations and community groups. Whilst there is an increasing awareness of factors impacting on child safety when accessing the internet, a significant number of people working on child protection issues have limited awareness of the cultural perspectives which could illuminate issues around other forms of child abuse. These may include, for example, female genital mutilation, witchcraft, and other practices conducted within the parameters of some traditions and belief systems.

This seminar will explore cultural issues which impact on the wellbeing and rights of children. Delegates will have opportunities to evaluate the extent to which organisations and individual practitioner approaches can work towards safeguarding children through an enhanced awareness and understanding of complex cultural issues.

The context within which service delivery occurs is increasingly complex and culturally diverse. This poses major challenges and opportunities for staff on both strategic and operational levels. The success of service delivery, in part, depends on the extent to which staff have developed their own awareness of cultural perspectives to challenge and inform them in their strategies and practice.

This seminar offers solutions to these challenges by exploring factors that support or hinder service provision in an increasingly intercultural context in which organisations work. Strategies and organisational processes will be considered which could be drivers for improving service delivery and access within a multicultural context.

Assessments are a key and crucial component in health and social care delivery as they form baselines upon which treatment plans and subsequent interventions are formulated. Health and Social care delivery is increasingly located within a multicultural environment and as such there are compelling reasons for health and social care staff to be culturally competent to achieve client/carer involvement and satisfaction.

This seminar aims to develop staff insight, knowledge and skills around assessments and cultural perspectives. The seminar aims to enhance this awareness by exploring the role of communication during assessments through an intercultural and multi-ethnic lens. Thus the course also considers cultures of organisations and the role of staff as successful enablers to effective assessment within diverse cultural contexts.

Effective and cohesive teams are vital to any organisation’s success whatever the context whether it be private, public or voluntary. Managing diversity within teams can be beneficial to organisations particularly in maximising the potential contribution individuals can make as part of the team. Managers, leaders, supervisors and team members need to be equipped with knowledge and skills to deal with the complex dynamics of such culturally diverse teams with a view to improving morale, motivation and performance.

This seminar will consider the challenges and opportunities of differing cultural contexts. Delegates will have the opportunity to share strategies for supporting individuals within such teams to work cohesively to achieve personal and organisational goals.

The reality of managing and operating within diverse cultures can pose great challenges to communication. It is also recognised that organisations cannot engage positively with people, clients, customers or service users unless they can communicate with an acceptable level of clarity. Poor communication skills can have adverse consequences irrespective of context.

This flagship seminar affords delegates the opportunity to explore social norms and meanings behind intercultural communication, and to share issues and best practice in engaging people and communities from differing cultural backgrounds. Consideration will be given to developing approaches that can promote engagement and communication within a multicultural environment.

Effectiveness in the implementation of policy and decisions in organisations and in the community is directly proportional to the level of participation and engagement accorded to stakeholders, from project/service design through to implementation stages. As individuals and communities increasingly exercise their own voice and rights regarding the type and quality of services they want, service providers need to equip themselves with knowledge and skills for designing effective, efficient structures that are responsible and responsive to the demands of clients, users and customers.

During this seminar delegates will explore and reflect on a number of models of participation. They will also be encouraged to develop strategies that promote positive and meaningful participation. The efficacy of these, based on experiences, will also be assessed.

Managing Recruitment and Customer Service can potentially be vehicles for increasing customer satisfaction in an increasingly diverse context. Organisations with incoherent recruitment and customer service strategies are unlikely to achieve success, or satisfaction from service users.

This seminar considers the relationship between recruitment and customer/service user satisfaction. It explores how organisations can formulate recruitment and customer service strategies fit for purpose in the 21st Century.

Western donor organisations and groups working on projects in the developing World, whether in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean or South America have an obligation to both their supporters and beneficiaries. Due to differing expectations and experiences on the part of donors and beneficiaries, development partnerships can pose challenges at various levels of relationships, from engagement and design stages through to the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of these projects.

This seminar aims to explore some of the challenges facing emerging, existing and experienced Western Non-Governmental Organisations and groups. Using proactive measures, the course seeks to explore and evaluate how best to maximise the benefits of these relationships whilst minimising the risks. During the seminar, some strategies will be examined for establishing robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms that translate into mutually productive relationships.

Western Faith groups and Churches form some of the most extensive community development networks in developing countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and South America, either as part of a network of Churches or as a single group. Challenges and opportunities presented to these groups need continual consideration in order to accomplish their aims and objectives in terms of the design, monitoring and evaluation of projects.

This seminar is specially targeted at faith organisations and churches that have partnerships in these regions to enable them to consider key developments in this field. It affords participants opportunities to network, share experiences and develop strategies for the future.