Community practitioner : the journal of the Community Practitioners' & Health Visitors' Association
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The aim of this research study is to explore health visitors' beliefs, knowledge and practice in cultural competence. A baseline survey was undertaken with all health visitors working within a West Midlands primary care trust (PCT) which served a significant population of minority ethnic communities. The results show that half the respondents were themselves members of a minority ethnic community. ⋯ However, racism was not recognised as a significant issue. The need for cultural competence training was seen as a key outcome. This training must reflect the diverse cultural needs of staff and service users.
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Uncertainty about the likelihood of a particular child coming to harm is a chief concern for parents making decisions about the MMR vaccine, but little attention has been given to the ways that parents cope with this uncertainty. Social science frameworks may help practitioners to understand parental decision making and its implications for community practice. In focus groups and interviews involving 87 parents, three distinct strategies for dealing with uncertainty emerged: reducing complexity through trust, compromise strategies that embrace ambivalence and identifying vulnerable groups. Community practitioners should seek to understand how parents may be using these strategies in order to appropriately tailor their information provision and foster trusting relationships in the communities they serve.