What is Cultural Competence?

Cultural competence is a set of corresponding behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enable them to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.

Cultural competence is a significant part of eliminating barriers to accessing services.

Additionally, cultural competence is a combination of cultural knowledge, cultural awareness, and cultural sensitivity. 

A culturally competent organization has the capacity to bring into its system many different behaviors, attitudes, and policies and work effectively in cross-cultural settings to produce better outcomes.