NDIS Cultural Diversity: Supporting CALD Participants Compliantly

What Is CALD in the NDIS Context?

CALD — Culturally and Linguistically Diverse — is the term used in Australian government and service delivery contexts to describe people from cultural or linguistic backgrounds other than the dominant Anglo-Australian culture. In the NDIS context, CALD participants may include:

• People born overseas who speak a language other than English at home
• People from refugee or humanitarian backgrounds who may have experienced trauma, disrupted education, or limited access to services
• Second-generation Australians who maintain strong cultural connections to their heritage
• People from established migrant communities (such as Italian, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Filipino, and Arabic-speaking communities)
• People from emerging communities (such as South Sudanese, Afghan, Burmese, and Syrian communities)

It is important to note that CALD is a broad category and does not describe a homogeneous group. The cultural needs of a participant from an established Italian-Australian family will be very different from those of a recently arrived refugee from Myanmar. Person-centred practice requires providers to understand each participant's individual cultural context rather than applying generalised assumptions about any cultural group.

Intersectionality

CALD participants with disability face intersecting barriers — the barriers associated with disability combined with language barriers, cultural differences, potential discrimination, and in some cases, the effects of trauma and displacement. Understanding this intersectionality is essential for delivering effective, person-centred support.

NDIS Practice Standard Outcome 1.2 Requirements

Outcome 1.2: Individual Values and Beliefs requires that each participant's culture, diversity, values, and beliefs are understood and incorporated into the delivery of supports. This is not limited to CALD participants — it applies to all participants, including those from the dominant cultural background — but it has particular significance for CALD participants whose cultural needs may be less familiar to the provider.

What the Practice Standards Require

Providers must demonstrate that they:

• Have processes to identify each participant's cultural, linguistic, and religious needs at onboarding
• Incorporate these needs into the participant's support plan
• Train staff in cultural competence and cultural safety
• Provide information to participants in their preferred language where possible
• Access interpreter services when needed
• Respect cultural practices in daily support delivery (diet, religious observances, gender preferences, etc.)
• Review and update cultural needs information regularly

The Difference Between Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety

Cultural competence is the ability to interact effectively with people from different cultures. It involves understanding cultural differences, respecting cultural practices, and adapting your behaviour and communication accordingly.

Cultural safety goes further. It requires creating an environment where the participant feels safe to express their cultural identity without fear of judgement, discrimination, or having their cultural practices dismissed. Cultural safety is defined by the participant — not by the provider. A service is culturally safe when the participant says it is, not when the provider believes it is.

Interpreter Access and Communication

Effective communication is the foundation of person-centred support. For participants who speak a language other than English, professional interpreter services are not optional — they are a compliance requirement where communication barriers would otherwise prevent the participant from understanding information about their supports, their rights, or their service agreement.

When to Use an Interpreter

• At onboarding — when explaining the service agreement, rights statement, and complaints process
• During support plan development and review — to ensure the participant can fully participate in planning their own supports
• When obtaining informed consent — consent is not valid unless the participant understood the information, which requires communication in their preferred language
• When discussing health or safety matters — medication changes, risk assessments, incident discussions
• When the participant requests an interpreter — at any time, for any reason

Interpreter Services Available

What NOT to Do

• Do not use family members as interpreters for significant conversations — family members may filter, censor, or misinterpret information, and confidentiality cannot be maintained
• Do not use bilingual support workers as interpreters for formal conversations — the support worker role and interpreter role are different, and combining them creates conflicts of interest
• Do not assume English proficiency — a participant may have conversational English but struggle with formal or technical language (such as service agreement terms or medical information)
• Do not assume cultural needs based on language — a participant who speaks fluent English may still have significant cultural needs that must be addressed

Translated Materials and Accessible Information

Providing translated materials is one of the most practical ways to support CALD participants. While translating every document into every language is not feasible for a small provider, there are key documents that should be available in the languages most commonly spoken by your participants.

Priority Documents for Translation

• Participant Rights Statement — the most important document for participants to understand in their own language
• How to Make a Complaint — including the NDIS Commission phone number (1800 035 544)
• Key terms of the service agreement (a summary, not necessarily the full agreement)
• Information about the NDIS Commission
• Emergency procedures (particularly for SIL participants)

Translation Resources

The NDIS Commission has published translated versions of some key documents (including the NDIS Code of Conduct and complaints information) in multiple community languages. Check the NDIS Commission website for available translations before commissioning your own.

For provider-specific documents, professional translation services should be used rather than informal translations by bilingual staff. The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) maintains a directory of accredited translators at naati.com.au.

Cultural Safety Training for Staff

Cultural safety training should be part of every NDIS provider's staff training programme. It equips support workers to deliver respectful, responsive support to participants from diverse cultural backgrounds.

What Training Should Cover

• Understanding culture — what culture is, how it shapes behaviour, beliefs, and preferences, and why it matters in support delivery
• Self-reflection — understanding one's own cultural biases and assumptions, and how these can affect interactions with participants
• Communication — working effectively with interpreters, recognising non-verbal communication differences, and avoiding assumptions about English proficiency
• Specific cultural knowledge — understanding the key cultural practices, dietary requirements, religious observances, and family structures of the communities your participants belong to
• Avoiding stereotypes — recognising that individual participants within any cultural group have diverse views, practices, and preferences
• Responding to cultural practices — how to accommodate cultural practices in daily support delivery (food preparation, prayer times, gender preferences, modesty requirements, etc.)
• Trauma-informed practice — understanding how experiences of displacement, refugee camp life, persecution, or torture may affect participants from refugee backgrounds

Documenting Training

Record cultural safety training in the Training Register (Document 45 in the SIL Rescue Kit). Auditors will check that staff have received cultural safety training and that it is refreshed regularly (at least annually).

Documenting Cultural Needs in Support Plans

Every participant's support plan should include a section on their cultural needs and preferences. This section should be developed collaboratively with the participant (using an interpreter if needed) and reviewed regularly.

What to Document

Respecting Cultural Practices in Daily Support

Cultural responsiveness is not just about documentation — it is about how supports are delivered every day. Here are practical considerations for support workers delivering daily supports to CALD participants.

Food and Meal Preparation

Food is one of the most culturally significant aspects of daily life. For CALD participants, culturally appropriate food may be essential to their wellbeing and sense of identity. Support workers should understand and respect dietary requirements (halal, kosher, vegetarian, specific ingredient restrictions), learn to prepare culturally appropriate meals (or support the participant to prepare them), and avoid cross-contamination between culturally restricted and unrestricted foods in shared kitchens.

Religious Observances

Support delivery should accommodate religious observances, including prayer times and quiet spaces for prayer, fasting periods (such as Ramadan), religious holidays and celebrations, and attendance at religious services or community gatherings. Support workers should ask participants about their religious needs rather than assuming based on their cultural background — not all members of a cultural group practise the dominant religion.

Gender and Modesty

Some CALD participants have strong preferences about the gender of their support workers, particularly for personal care (showering, dressing, toileting). These preferences must be respected — they are not optional or subject to the provider's convenience. Where possible, roster support workers who match the participant's gender preference for personal care shifts.

Family and Community

In many cultures, family involvement in care is expected and valued. Providers should facilitate family connections where the participant wants this, while maintaining the professional boundaries and privacy obligations that apply to all participants. Community connections — religious groups, cultural associations, community events — are often essential to the participant's social and emotional wellbeing and should be supported through community access activities.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Participants

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are not classified as "CALD" in Australian government frameworks — they are the First Nations peoples of Australia. However, cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NDIS participants requires specific attention and understanding.

Key Considerations

• Connection to Country — for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants, connection to their land, community, and cultural practices is central to their wellbeing
• Kinship systems — family and kinship structures may differ from Western nuclear family models and should be understood and respected
• Sorry Business — when a community member passes away, cultural obligations may require the participant to travel, attend ceremonies, or withdraw from usual activities for an extended period
• Intergenerational trauma — the effects of colonisation, the Stolen Generations, and ongoing systemic disadvantage may affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants' engagement with services and their trust in service providers
• Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) — where possible, consider partnering with or referring to ACCOs that may provide more culturally appropriate services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants

Staff training on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural safety should be mandatory for all NDIS providers, regardless of whether they currently support Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander participants.

Participants from Refugee Backgrounds

Participants from refugee backgrounds may have additional needs related to their pre-arrival experiences — including exposure to war, persecution, torture, prolonged periods in refugee camps, disrupted education, and separation from family members.

Trauma-Informed Approaches

• Understand that behaviours that might seem "challenging" may be trauma responses
• Build trust slowly — refugees who have experienced persecution by authority figures may be wary of service providers
• Avoid triggering situations where possible (loud noises, unexpected physical contact, authority-based language)
• Be aware that some participants may have limited formal education and may not be literate in any language
• Understand that the concept of "disability" and "disability services" may not exist in the participant's culture — the participant and their family may have a different understanding of disability

Settlement Needs

Participants from refugee backgrounds may still be navigating settlement in Australia. Their support plan should consider how NDIS supports complement settlement services, whether the participant needs assistance with broader settlement tasks (though these are not NDIS-funded), and connections to community organisations that support refugees.

What Auditors Look For

During a certification audit, NDIS auditors assess Outcome 1.2 compliance through:

Document Review

• Cultural Safety Policy (or equivalent) that addresses CALD participant needs
• Support plans with documented cultural needs sections for CALD participants
• Evidence of interpreter use (booking records, file notes documenting interpreter involvement)
• Translated versions of key participant-facing documents
• Staff training records showing cultural safety training
• Progress notes that demonstrate culturally responsive support delivery

Staff Interviews

Auditors may ask:

• "How do you identify and respond to a participant's cultural needs?"
• "How do you arrange interpreter services when needed?"
• "Can you give an example of how you adapted your support for a participant from a different cultural background?"
• "What would you do if a participant's cultural practices conflicted with your organisation's procedures?"

Participant Interviews

Auditors may ask CALD participants:

• "Do your support workers understand and respect your cultural needs?"
• "Can you get information in your preferred language?"
• "Do you feel comfortable expressing your cultural practices with your support workers?"

Accurate documentation is essential — progress notes that record how cultural needs were addressed during each shift provide concrete evidence of culturally responsive practice for auditors.