ABSTRACT

The activity of working group 3 of Cooperation in Science and Technology Action IS1406 was concerned with whether and how social and cultural factors impact children’s access to language services, whether the services offered fit their needs and are consistent with the types of services their families consider appropriate. Cultural competence is described as knowledge, understanding and appreciation of a variety of cultural and linguistic factors that may influence service delivery. Cultural variation has been described in parents’ child-rearing practices relevant to communication and language development. Cultural and social influences give rise to both truths and stereotypes and misunderstandings about intercultural differences between nations and ethnicities. The results provide information on the kinds of services offered to bi-/multilingual children, the training available to the people who offer these services and how confident they feel in their skill to do so.