Cultural Intelligence Placement
The work on Cultural Intelligence within Birmingham City Council has come about following the publishing of the Birmingham and Lewisham Black Afro-Caribbean Health Inequalities Review (BLACHIR).
The BLACHIR Review (Birmingham and Lewisham African and Caribbean Health Inequalities Review) aims to improve the health of Black African and Black Caribbean people in our communities by listening to them, recognising their priorities, discussing and reflecting on findings and coproducing solutions.
Our Cultural Intelligence programme is split in to 2 parts, one which focuses on the Birmingham Cultural Intelligence Framework (BCIF) and a second which focuses on Cultural Humility and Safety.
The ambition of the project is two-fold:
- To be a city where all front-line staff are culturally humble in their actions and where leaders are committed to life-long learning to improve their cultural intelligence.
- To establish Birmingham as a centre for excellence for Cultural Competence
Within Birmingham City Council’s Public Health Team there has been an ongoing programme of student placements who have supported in the implementation of the BLACHIR Review.
Students are asked to complete a variety of tasks within these placements which usually involves skills such as: reviewing key literature to gather evidence, data analysis, developing communications messages, event planning and delivery.
Students on these placements work independently, with support from weekly supervision sessions with a Public Health representative, and additional one-to-one sessions as required.
These placements aims to give students a well-rounded experience of a public health role within a local authority.
Silvestre Asubonteng – Student Intern on the Cultural Intelligence Programme – October 2024 says:
“During my internship with Birmingham City Council's public health team, I focused on cultural intelligence, developing skills to navigate and address the diverse health needs of multicultural communities. I collaborated with professionals to design a culturally sensitive health campaign toolkit, ensuring that it was accessible and easy for healthcare professionals to use. This experience enhanced my understanding of how cultural context influences health behaviours and outcomes, and it strengthened my ability to engage with different communities to promote health equity.”
Page last updated: 10 October 2024
