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Understanding others while understanding ourselves is an important step to "Building Partnerships with Parents" and breaking down the barriers that inhibit effective service delivery. In our society, there has been a gross disparity in the quality and accessibility of health, mental health, and educational services amongst individuals of various ethnic, racial, cultural, and socio-economic groups. Some of this inconsistency is due to the professional's lack of knowledge and understanding of the spiritual beliefs, customs, cultural values and practices of various groups. In order to improve partnerships and the quality of service delivery, it is essential to create an environment of cultural understanding between families, the community and the agencies that service them. In this section, the user will be provided with a brief introduction to cultural competency and its application, how behavioral and personality types affect the way people relate, and a summary of several evidenced based programs that have been effective in the engagement of parents.
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