According to Lynch and Hanson (1992), cross-cultural competence is required to recognise family diversity and family complexity. This can be achieved through self-awareness, knowledge of information specific to different cultures (or specific to one or two in the context in which you work) as well as then the effective application of this knowledge and sensitivity in successful interactions (Chan, 1990). When increasing knowledge of the context in which I work (a rural, isiXhosa community) one must engage with the community to determine local models of child rearing and then try to adapt intervention to the already-existing beliefs and practices (Morelli et al., 2018). As I work with assistants to help with translation who are from the local community and can provide me with helpful local knowledge when working with children and their families. Furthermore, self-reflection and self-awareness are invaluable to ensure continued growth in my understanding of the community’s culture in which I work after each and every interaction I have with each family.
