From Cultural Competence to Cultural Humility: A Journey of Personal Growth

At Community Foster Care, we talk a lot about personal growth.

We believe fostering changes lives – not only for children and young people, but also for foster carers, staff and everyone involved in the wider community around a child. Every relationship is an opportunity to learn something about another person, but also about ourselves.

That is why, when members of our community recently took part in training exploring cultural competence, it prompted an important question: can we ever truly become "competent" in someone else's culture?

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement suggests a different way of thinking. Rather than striving for cultural competence as a destination, we commit ourselves to cultural humility – an ongoing process of curiosity, reflection, learning and self-awareness. We recognise that understanding difference is not something we complete. It is something we continually practise. 

This matters because the children and young people we work alongside often experience discrimination, exclusion and social injustice. Their identities, cultures, histories and experiences deserve to be understood, respected and celebrated. As adults, our responsibility is not to assume we know what that means for them. Our responsibility is to stay curious enough to keep asking, listening and learning. 

Being Explorers

One phrase from our EDI commitment feels particularly important:

"We are committed to being explorers." 

Being an explorer means accepting that we do not have all the answers. It means being willing to challenge our assumptions, reflect on our own experiences and remain open to being changed by what we discover. It all ties back to what we call our pirate spirit.

At CFC, we know that identity is complex. Every person carries their own story, shaped by family, culture, faith, community, experiences and relationships. Two people may share aspects of their identity but understand themselves very differently. That is why genuine curiosity matters more than checklists and certainty.

The goal is not to become an expert in somebody else's experience. The goal is to understand enough about ourselves to recognise what we may not yet understand about others.

Learning Through Reflection

This approach sits naturally alongside our therapeutic model and our commitment to reflective practice.

Through supervision, training, conversations with colleagues, discussions with foster carers and, most importantly, through listening to children and young people, we continue to deepen our understanding of difference and identity. Reflection helps us notice our assumptions, understand our biases and remain open to alternative perspectives. 

Sometimes this can be uncomfortable.

Conversations about race, culture, privilege, discrimination, faith, sexuality and identity can make us aware of things we had not previously considered. Yet growth often begins at precisely that moment. When something previously unnoticed comes into view, we have an opportunity to think differently, act differently and do better.

Why It Matters in Fostering

For children in care, identity is not an abstract concept.

A child needs adults who understand that their culture, ethnicity, faith, family history, gender identity, community connections and life experiences all contribute to who they are. Children deserve to feel safe enough to bring their whole selves into relationships with the people who care for them.

At CFC, we want foster carers to be curious, reflective and brave. We want them to ask questions. We want them to seek support when they are unsure. We want them to learn from children, from birth families, from communities and from one another.

Most importantly, we want children and young people to know that difference is not something that needs to be hidden or overcome. It is something that should be welcomed, understood and valued.

A Commitment to Personal Growth

Our EDI commitment describes a desire to create a community where people can be their true selves, feel safe to explore identity and develop a deeper understanding of one another. It also commits us to promoting personal growth through learning and reflection. 

Perhaps that is the real lesson from cultural competence training.

The destination is not competence.

The destination is becoming more reflective, more self-aware, more courageous and more willing to learn.

Or perhaps, as we might say at CFC, the destination is not the point at all.

The important thing is continuing the journey.