Intercultural Competences and Care Practices

Researcher Hélia Bracons, lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Education and Administration at Lusófona University, recently presented an in-depth reflection on the role of intercultural competences in care and social intervention. Taking as a starting point the current context of superdiversity, marked by the presence of over 1.5 million immigrants in Portugal, the lecturer highlights how the multiplicity of cultures, languages, and life trajectories demands new ways of understanding and supporting people in vulnerable situations.

The researcher emphasises that caring and educating are distinct yet inseparable dimensions: while caring responds to the present and the immediate needs of the person, educating prepares for the future, empowering professionals and families for inclusive coexistence. Intercultural competence involves cognitive, affective, and behavioural components that allow one to recognise biases, develop empathy, and adapt institutional practices. Only in this way is it possible to ensure care that respects diverse cultural identities, rituals, beliefs, and ways of life, avoiding ethnocentric approaches and insensitivity to differences.

The researcher warns that the lack of intercultural mediation, institutional rigidity, scarcity of multilingual materials, and implicit biases continue to create inequalities in access to services and the quality of care. She therefore advocates for a structural transformation that includes continuous training, accessible communication, and the involvement of families and communities.