This information is to help professionals understand how they can play an active role in the prevention of adult abuse, in the context of highlighting the need to improve engagement with ethnic minority groups in Tees. The following points summarise the whole community approach:
- Improve Public Awareness: This can be achieved by helping to support awareness raising campaigns and signposting adults to appropriate sources of information.
- Identifying Adults at Risk: The adult safeguarding duties apply to any person aged 18 years or older who: Has care and support needs, Is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, Is unable to protect themselves because of their care and support needs. An adult with care and support needs may be an individual:
- with a physical, sensory or learning disability
- with mental health needs, including dementia or a personality disorder
- with a long-term health condition or brain injury
- who misuses substances or alcohol to the extent that it affects their ability to manage day-today living
- Identifying & Responding Effectively to Abuse: Organisations and individuals working to improve their understanding and early identification of the different types of adult abuse, so that an effective response can be achieved in conjunction with the adults views and wishes.
- Consistent & Widespread Application of Policies & Procedures: It is important for organisations delivering services to adults to have appropriate policies and procedures which are developed in line with TSAB Policies, Procedures and Guidance , and embedded into the practice of all professionals.
- Focus on Equality & Narrowing Inequality: Adults from an ethnic minority background are less likely to be engaged with statutory services across Tees. All professionals can help to improve reporting and equal access to protective services.
- Help Adults to Protect Themselves: Every organisation delivering services within the health and social care sector can identify ways in which they can help to inform, and support adults in protecting themselves from abuse and neglect.
- Provide Information, Advice & Advocacy: Individual organisations will know the communication needs of their client groups, and as such are best placed to provide adult safeguarding information in the most appropriate formats, methods and languages.
- Provide Access to Training & Education: Organisations have a responsibility to provide access to up to date and relevant adult safeguarding training for their staff and volunteers.
- Support Broader Wellbeing Strategies: There is a clear link between the prevention of adult abuse and broader health and wellbeing strategies, including the reduction of social isolation and loneliness. Organisations can help to engage adults in these type of strategies, which will also indirectly help to prevent adult abuse
Cultural Competence
Cultural competence is a key aspect of professional practice which describes the knowledge, values and skills required to work in an inclusive manner that reflects the diversity of our local communities across Tees. To achieve this there are three key attributes that professionals need:
Knowledge and understanding of:
a. Your own culture
b. Any culture bias you may have
c. The concept of culture and how this can affect beliefs and behaviours
d. Specific cultural knowledge.
A range of values and attitudes, including a commitment to:
a. Valuing individuality and the role which culture plays in this
b. Respecting individuality and the role which culture plays in this.
A range of skills including:
a. Culturally competent communication
b. Culturally competent assessment
c. Culturally competent delivery of person-centred care.
Professionals should consider any gaps in their knowledge and development needs in relation to this subject. These resources provides a further useful insight into this subject:
https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/cultural-competence/
https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/youngcarer/engage-toolkit
Ethnic Minority Communities & Languages Across Tees
There are a wide variety of community groups living across the Tees area which could be
defined by number of factors including race, ethnicity, religion, language and culture.
Ethnicity and language are individual characteristics and should not be confused or
combined. 96.6% of people living across Tees identified English as their first language in the
2021 Census.
Largest Ethnic Minority Communities
- Asian Pakistani
- Asian Indian
- Chinese
- Polish
Most Common Non-English Languages
- Arabic
- Polish
- Urdu
- Punjabi
Understanding Faiths & Belief Backgrounds
In the 2021 census the following were the most commonly recorded religions across Tees:
- Christianity 50.7%
- (Islam) Muslim 3.9%
- Hinduism 0.42%
- Sikhism 0.27%
- Buddhism 0.25%
37.2% of the population also recorded themselves as having no religion, and as such it is important to
recognise and respect non-belief. Within many of the major world religions there are also other denominations inside the wider faith, and it is important not to stereotype religion linked to culture and identity, for example there are Asian Pakistani Christians.
Christianity
There are not any specific customs to be aware of, except for generally being respectful.
Islam (Muslim)
Observant Muslims pray five times a day and are required to cover the body, and therefore dress modestly. You may also choose to dress accordingly when you visit a Muslim’s home to respect these values. In most Muslim homes people will remove their shoes before entering, which is a cultural and religious issue linked to the need for cleanliness. In many households unmarried men and women will not congregate in the same room and private conversation may be frowned upon, and although these conventions may not strictly apply to non-Muslim visitor’s, professionals should be sensitive to them.
Hinduism
It is respectful to remove your shoes before entering a person’s home. Worship in the home is an important ritual and many homes contain a room with a shrine, so do not enter this room or touch the shrine without permission. You may offer to cover your head and dress modestly.
Sikhism
Before entering a Sikh person’s home it is respectful to offer to remove your shoes and cover your head. The family may keep a copy of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, in a special room in the house. Never enter this room without an invitation.
Buddhism
It is again respectful to remove your shoes before entering a Buddhist person’s home and many homes contain a room with a shrine for meditation. Do not enter this room or touch the shrine without permission from your hosts, and once in the room, do not turn your back to the shrine. Many Buddhists also dress modestly so it is good practice to respect this and refrain from wearing shorts or sleeveless tops.
More detailed information for professionals on religion is available here: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/religion-or-belief-discrimination
Cross Cultural Communication
Greetings
In some cultures people commonly greet each other with kisses, although some communities may find any physical contact, including the offer of a handshake unusual or unwelcome, and especially across genders. However, a warm but formal introduction is universally appropriate.
Gestures
Use of non-verbal communication such as hand movements and gestures, and general use of body language differ from one culture to another. It is important to be aware of this and the different signals that this can give across cultures.
Eye-Contact
In some cultures it maybe the norm for people to lower or adjust their gaze and face away when talking to someone of the opposite sex, when showing respect for an older person, or someone perceived to be in a more influential position.
Dress Code
There are noticeable cultural differences in levels of formality in relation to dress, which may also link to the dress code requirements of a person’s faith. In some Asian cultures women in particular may dress very modestly, which may overlap with verbal and non-verbal communication factors.
Time
Attitudes towards the use of time can vary, and in many African, Asian and Middle Eastern cultures there can be a longer-term orientation and fluid perception of time. This may mean that being precisely on time is not seen as essential, and being late is not viewed as unacceptable or rude. In the UK there is generally a short-term orientation or perception towards time, which may mean that professionals have to check the understanding of individuals they are working with, and reinforce the importance of attending scheduled meetings and for punctually.
Social Interaction
Modes of social interaction can differ significantly across cultures, were in one it may be culturally acceptable or the norm to be loud and boisterous, in others it may be more likely that individuals will be reserved and quieter. Similarly, it may be customary to wait for a pause in conversations before speaking, but in others accepted that people will talk across each other.
Context of Communication
A broader framework for inter-cultural awareness can be encapsulated in the context in which people communicate in general, which can be described as either low or high. In low context cultures there is a lack of non-verbal elements and the verbal message is very explicit and clear. Conversely, in high context cultures non-verbal language is more commonly used and the verbal message is indirect and the person may talk around the point. There is also a link to proximity or territoriality with people from high context cultures more likely to be happy to stand close and share the same space as someone else, than a person from a low context background who would value their own private space more.
Further Information and Resources
Information on how to report abuse.
Search for local services in Tees via Find Support in Your Area
Safe Place Scheme locations are venues in the community where people who need extra support can go if they need some help. More information and an interactive map of locations can be found on the webpage.