4B Consider the impact of cultural differences if difficulties or misunderstandings occur

Social and cultural misunderstandings often affect the working relationship between care workers and other staff. They can also affect the relationship between care workers and people with support needs. As a result, the care received by the individual can suffer. This may be because people feel they may say the wrong thing and upset each other, or because they don’t know how to approach the problem and they stop communicating.

Always check if the conflict is caused by a social or cultural difference, or by something else. Remember, conflict can occur if people from one social or culture group feel they aren’t accepted because of the prejudices of other people. Misunderstandings can also occur when people don’t understand other groups and cultures.