Home ›› Health Professionals ›› Education & Training ›› CLD Framework 

Cultural & Linguistic Diversity Framework (CLD Framework)
The framework provides mainstream health professionals with guidelines for working effectively with clients from diverse backgrounds.

In 2003 Southcity Clinic received funding from the Department of Human Services Victoria - Southern Metropolitan Region office to write a framework for health professionals working with people with substance dependence from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Click here for a PDF copy of the framework (you need Acrobat Reader to read this file)

The framework briefly runs through definitions of culture and ethnicity and goes on to provide a simple four step framework for working with clients. The four steps are outlined below:

SECTION ONE: Understanding your (the health practitioner) cultural grounding. Work through Kleinman’s list to assist in understanding your own cultural expectations. This need only be undertaken once to start you thinking about any biases and preconceived notions which may affect your role as a health professional

SECTION TWO: Understanding where the client is coming from. This needs to be undertaken with every client. However, this only need be done at the first appointment. This stage moves the emphasis from the individual to their cultural base. That is, what is the clients’ cultural grounding and how are they informed? How acculturated is the client? This may or may not differ from your cultural understandings. Assuming shared cultural understandings with the client, regardless of any apparent or perceived similarities is something that we should always try to avoid.

SECTION THREE: Using the model. Amodeo’s five stages of culture specific AOD dynamics is a very effective guide to use when working with the client. This gives you something solid to work with and to keep going back to for guidance. It may be a good idea to record the information gathered at this stage for future reference.

SECTION FOUR: The Response. The final stage is essentially how you respond to the situation and is case specific. The first three parts are merely guidelines for assisting you as you work with each client. Choice of treatment modality may be based on the interactions and discussions generated by undertaking the first three parts.