Ask the Trainer: Perspectives on Cultural Humility and APS
 

Interview with Quatana Hodges, Senior Social Services Supervisor, Adult Protective Services’ Training and Career Development, Orange County, California 
Edited by Kendra Kuehn, MSW, APS TARC Subject Matter Expert

March 2024

The importance of cultural humility and responsiveness is increasingly being recognized in many professions, including in adult protective services (APS). The National APS Training Center notes that “Cultural humility is a process, rather than an end product, which leads to culturally responsive services.” It can also be an uncomfortable process as we have to examine our own biases and viewpoints. Quatana Hodges, Senior Social Services Supervisor with Orange County, California Adult Protective Services’ Training and Career Development Department, shared her best practices and tools in training APS staff on cultural humility and responsiveness.  
  

How did you come to this role?

As an APS worker Quatana participated in the agency’s speakers bureau which facilitated agency presentations at organizational meetings and events. This sparked her interest in training, building presentations, and raising awareness of APS. Now as the lead trainer for Orange County, as well as a subject matter expert with the Academy for Professional Excellence’s Adult Protective Services Workforce Innovations (APSWI) program, Quatana brings creativity and experience to her work.

There are a lot of terms floating around on culture including cultural competency and cultural humility. What terms are key for APS and how do you use them? 

Quatana noted that initially she heard cultural responsiveness used frequently. It was while working with APSWI that she started to hear the term cultural humility more frequently. Cultural humility implies being humble enough to learn and accept that we do not know enough about others. She emphasizes that “we have to be humble enough to misstep and be open to being corrected.” Cultural responsiveness is another commonly used term and implies responding to clients in a way that is mindful of culture and ethnicity. For training APS staff, Quatana noted that the terms are ideally used together. APS workers need to be culturally humble in their interactions but also responsive to how diverse cultural beliefs and practices may impact the situation. 
 

Why is cultural humility and responsiveness important in APS?

Culture permeates all aspects of our lives, especially around family dynamics, aging, and challenging situations. Quatana notes, “People tend to be more responsive when you show understanding of culture and willingness to learn. A big part of APS is getting people to open the door and speak to you.” Being aware of cultural influences and open to learning helps set the tone of being there to help not to judge. Quatana noted recognizing cultural practices can also help build connection. While a worker may not be able to take their shoes off when entering a home where that is the norm, they may offer to open and wear a fresh pair of shoe coverings to put an adult more at ease and demonstrate respect. Being aware of culturally appropriate community resources can also build that rapport, such as an adult day center that speaks an older adult’s primary language or caregiver classes at a culturally specific office. Quatana notes APS is coming into people’s homes in a position of authority and finding a way to relate is important. Clients are speaking about things that are very personal, and APS can benefit by soaking up as much as they can and asking cultural questions when appropriate. Quatana emphasizes that people appreciate when you make the effort to learn who they are. 
 

These are tough concepts to tackle. How do you approach training for APS around cultural humility and responsiveness?

After Orange County APS’ initial worker training, they send out surveys for feedback and always see a desire for more training in this area. Quatana feels that videos are a strong tool for any trainer to open up discussion and help workers see cultural humility and responsiveness in practice. She likes to use this APSWI video of an APS professional interviewing an alleged perpetrator in a caregiver neglect case. The video includes examples of missteps and the worker’s correction such assuming the family identifies as Hispanic and not initially recognizing the alleged perpetrator’s preference for use of the Portuguese word “avó” rather than the English “grandmother.” Other videos could include real-life or practice situations. Quatana also recommended that trainers pull from their own experiences in the field, both good and bad. Sharing those experiences, mistakes made, and how being responsive and humble made a difference can help the group relate to the topic and its importance.  
 

Engaging APS staff in internal reflection and discussion is also key. One way to do this is by encouraging attendees to relate the practices of cultural humility and responsiveness to their own experience. Quatana asks APS staff to reflect on a time they felt someone responded inappropriately to their culture or ethnicity in a professional setting, such as a doctor’s appointment. Staff can consider if the professional did or did not act in a culturally humble way and how the interaction impacted them. Groups may also want to address how cultural beliefs may be impacted by other factors such as generational viewpoints on caregiving and family support. 
 

Cultural humility and responsiveness can be a difficult topic because race and ethnicity are often considered taboo areas. The easy answer may be to ignore or not talk about it. Quatana notes APS needs to have the discussions both for working with clients and for acknowledging some staff may be experiencing humiliating or hostile responses from clients. Building cultural humility and responsiveness within the APS program can help supervisors and management approach challenges facing their staff in a more appropriate way. Making people feel seen and acknowledged helps to move cultural humility and responsiveness beyond just a day of training. She notes that people should not be afraid of the conversation. 
 

Quatana emphasizes that “The main thing is to be open to learning and find resources. Let supervisors know if there is something you think is needed or that you want training on.”   
 

What is the key takeaway for readers on training around cultural humility and responsiveness? 

Quatana emphasizes that being open to learning and building a relationship is key. APS needs to recognize that older adults and people with disabilities are a culmination of their life experiences leading up to this point. “When training, remind workers of the challenges older adults that are part of marginalized groups have faced in their lifetime,” Quatana says. “Women, POC, and those part of the LGBTQ+ community that are older adults grew up in a time where a certain level of prejudice, racism, sexism, and homophobia were acceptable. Remind workers to consider how this has affected clients when you are working with them. Also, as a trainer, discussing the concept of intersectionality is important. It greatly affects the kind of life your client has led, which affects their experiences as well as the choices they make.” 
 

Resources

• APS TARC
  • Webinar - Equity and Cultural Humility in APS: Beginning the Conversation Around Staff and Client Experiences
• Academy for Professional Excellence: Adult Protective Services Workforce Innovations
  • APSWI Videos
  • Ethics, Values, and Cultural Responsiveness in APS Trainings

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