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Goal: To provide Orange County government with a standardized methodology by <br />-- which to assess the oral, written, and cultural proficiency levels of Spanish speaking <br />current and potential employees. <br />Need: The demands on certain departments in Orange County, particularly those <br />involved in health and social services, for communicating in Spanish are many and <br />increasing rapidly. Federal regulations encoded in Title VI, as promulgated by the <br />Department of Health and Human Services of North Carolina, require the following:1 <br />2. Provision of Bilingual /Interpretive Services <br />A. Local entities shall ensure that effective bilingual /interpretive services are <br />provided to serve the needs of the non-English speaking populations. The <br />provision of bilingual/interpretive services shall be prompt without undue <br />delays. In most circumstances, this requires language services to be available <br />during all operating hours. <br />B. The local entity is required to develop uniform procedures providing for <br />language assistance options at all level of interaction with LEP individuals, <br />including telephone interactions. This requirement maybe met through <br />utilization of paid interpreters, qualified bilingual employee, qualified <br />employees of other agencies or community resources. Telephone interpreter <br />services should only be utilized as a back-up system or where other language <br />assistance options are unavailable. <br />C. Interpreter Standards <br />1. Those providing bilingual /interpretive services shall meet the linguistic <br />and cultural competency standards set forth below. Local entities shall <br />take reasonable steps to screen interpreters and self-identified bilingual <br />staff to certify that the bilingual employee /interpreter: <br />a. Can fluently and effectively communicate in both English and <br />the primary language of the LEP individual <br />b. can accurately and impartially interpret to and from such <br />languages and English <br />c. has a basic knowledge of specialized terms and concepts used <br />frequently in the provision of the local entity's services <br />d. demonstrates cultural competency <br />e. understands the obligation to maintain confidently <br />f. understands the roles of interpreters and the ethics associated <br />with being an interpreter <br />Insofar as possible, the County wishes to have in-house the resources needed to serve <br />Spanish-speaking residents effectively and in a timely manner. To meet this need, it is <br />important to evaluate and classify the language skills of current and potential staff. <br />Objectives: CHICLE will design assessment tools, recommendations for training, <br />implementation, and follow-up that will enable the County to assess present and fuhtre <br />~ http://info.dhhs.state.nc.us/olm/manuals/dhs/po130/man/Title_VI_Language_Access.pdf, <br />7/1/2004m pp. 4-~ <br /> <br />