Elevating how services approach cultural connections with children
About us
CulturalWorks is specialist consultancy service working with organisations, leaders, teams and staff delivering services to children, young people and families from culturally different backgrounds.
Cultural Works, lead by its founder Kathy Karatasas, brings together a core group of culturally diverse consultants whose expertise in culturally responsive child and family practices, learning and development and executive leadership places them in a unique position to partner with services as trust advisors to facilitate improvements in organisation's services to children and families from diverse cultural backgrounds.
We are authentic, passionate and committed to working together to build culturally responsive organisations whose systems and staff are also committed to strengthening culturally responsive workplaces and whose services with children, individuals and families reflect cultural humility, sensitivity and connections.
We represent diverse capabilities through a range of cultural and professional differences reflecting different settlement journeys, ethnic backgrounds, faith, languages, as well as gender and professional backgrounds.
We look forward to working with you to help you strengthen your culturally responsive commitments to children and families from diverse cultural backgrounds.
We believe all children have a right to be connected to their family, community and culture.
CulturalWorks partners with organisations, leaders and practitioners to develop cultural competence, humility and promote culturally responsive, evidence-informed practices in working with children and families from diverse cultural backgrounds.
We use the S.E.L.F.© (Settlement, Ethnicity, Language and Faith)
conceptual model and practice tools to guide understanding of what may be culturally important for children and families from diverse backgrounds.
The S.E.L.F. culturally responsive practice tools:
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Facilitates the implementation of evidence-informed practices with children and families,
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Informs leadership through coaching, reflective dialogues and other learning and development training for practitioners, teams and managers,
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Guides organisation's strategy to collaborate, partner, advocate and develop capabilities that enhance positive wellbeing outcomes for children, young people and families from diverse cultural backgrounds.
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A note from Kathy
I have been committed to working with children and families for over 40 years, in early intervention, child protection, out of home care, women’s health, quality assurance, practice evidence and executive management with government and non-government services.
As second-generation Greek-Australian Orthodox, I have lived experiences of child safety, kinship care and migration challenges. Having raised four children as a young widow and single parent, I also appreciate the dynamics and complexities within families and in raising children. These experiences have strengthened my awareness of how settlement, ethnicity, language, and faith can impact one’s culture and how important culture can be for shaping children’s sense of connection, identity and belonging.
My professional career has included leadership roles through regulatory bodies reviewing the wellbeing of children in care and senior government positions driving reforms to improve policies and services for children, young people, and families. My qualifications in Social Work, Family Group Conferencing, Management, Adult Training and as a JP have enhanced my practice wisdom and commitment to children’s rights and the implementation of systems which value the intersectionalities of practitioners, managers, and executive responsibilities.
Just as I am aware of the impact my decisions have on my children’s wellbeing, I am equally aware of the importance of monitoring the potential impact of decisions made by those delivering services and influencing policies. I have been, and will continue to be, a strong advocate for reflective approaches, that consider individual children’s family’s circumstances and commit to practice evidence that hopefully demonstrates collaborations, partnerships and that children feel they are safe and connected to family, community, and culture.
I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to share knowledge and learn from others through my participation and presentations in, Ministerial Taskforce, Boards, Sector Forums, International conferences.
I am very excited about receiving a Churchill Fellowship which will see me pursue international research in 2024 to investigate practice tools to achieve better outcomes for multicultural children in foster care and, subsequently share the research across Australia.
I strongly value diversity, inclusion, social justice, and authentic collaboration. I believe organisations have the capacity to strengthen, and indeed elevate approaches to working with children and families from different cultural backgrounds. I look forward to the opportunities to partner with, share my knowledge, facilitate reflections, actions and approaches to growth that are sustainable and importantly contribute to positive wellbeing outcomes for children, families, and communities.
Kathy Karatasas
CONSULTING SERVICES
Here is a list of our consulting services. Call us if you need clarification of any of our services.
Practices
CulturalWorks provides a suite of evidence informed practice tools to guide practitioners in culturally responsive practice with children, families and communities. Our tools assist practitioners to enhance their cultural awareness, achieve cultural competence and become culturally responsive.