Reading List

A curated Reading List to support and extend learning from Cross-Cultural Safety and Sensitivity for Residential Care Staff.

This Reading List supports UK-wide practice. It includes England regulator guidance where CQC has detailed culturally appropriate care material, plus Great Britain equality law and signposting to Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland standards.

Core practice and regulation

• Care Quality Commission: Culturally appropriate care
  A focused adult social care guide linking culturally appropriate care to person-centred care, dignity, consent, equality, meals, care planning, visitors, staff learning, and workforce equality.
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/culturally-appropriate-care

• Care Quality Commission: Examples of culturally appropriate care
  Practical examples on religion, food, dementia, language, end-of-life care, community links, staffing, and responding to racism or discrimination towards staff.
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/examples-culturally-appropriate-care

• Care Quality Commission: Regulation 9 - Person-centred care
  Useful for the legal expectation in England that care must meet needs, reflect preferences, involve the person, and be designed around assessed needs and choices.
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/regulations-service-providers-and-managers/health-social-care-act/regulation-9

• Care Quality Commission: Regulation 10 - Dignity and respect
  Sets out expectations on privacy, dignity, autonomy, community involvement, and due regard to relevant protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/regulations/regulation-10-dignity-respect

• GOV.UK: Care and support statutory guidance
  The Care Act guidance underlines wellbeing, personal dignity, day-to-day control, individual wishes and beliefs, and care focused on the outcomes that matter to the person.
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-statutory-guidance/care-and-support-statutory-guidance

• NICE NG86: People's experience in adult social care services
  Practical guidance on preferred names, rapport, communication, flexible support, family and advocate involvement, and making care responsive to changing priorities.
  https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng86

• NHS England: Accessible Information Standard requirements
  Useful where communication needs relate to disability, impairment, or sensory loss. It sets out the need to identify, record, flag, share, meet, and review information and communication support needs.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/accessible-information-standard-requirements-dapb1605/

• Skills for Care: Culturally appropriate care guide
  A practical adult social care guide explaining that culture is individual and should be built into person-centred practice, including work with dementia, learning disability, and LGBT+ communities.
  https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/resources/documents/Developing-your-workforce/Care-topics/Culturally-appropriate-care/Culturally-appropriate-care-guide.pdf

• Skills for Care: Care Certificate standards 2025
  Useful for frontline staff because Standard 4 expects workers to support culturally appropriate care, work inclusively, and recognise, challenge, and report discrimination.
  https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Developing-your-workforce/Care-Certificate/Care-Certificate-standards.aspx

• GOV.UK: Equality Act 2010 guidance
  Official overview of the Equality Act 2010, including discrimination, protected characteristics, age discrimination in services, and the Public Sector Equality Duty across Great Britain.
  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance

• Equality Act 2010 legislation
  The primary legislation for England, Scotland, and Wales. Helpful when checking the protected characteristics and the legal basis for service equality duties.
  https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents

Four-nations signposting

• Social Care Wales: Code of Professional Practice for Social Care Workers
  Wales-specific professional standards. Note that the updated code applies from 1 July 2026; the page also explains the transition from the 2018 code.
  https://socialcare.wales/dealing-with-concerns/codes-of-practice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-practice-for-social-care-workers

• Social Care Wales: Codes of practice under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act
  Useful for Wales-facing context on assessment, meeting needs, and the wider social care framework that sits alongside person-led practice.
  https://socialcare.wales/resources-guidance/information-and-learning-hub/sswbact/codes-of-practice

• Scottish Government: Health and Social Care Standards
  Scotland-specific standards on dignity, respect, inclusion, communication, choice, responsive care, community participation, and wellbeing.
  https://www.gov.scot/publications/health-social-care-standards-support-life/pages/3/

• Care Inspectorate: Health and Social Care Standards
  A Scotland regulator-facing page explaining how the standards are used in scrutiny and improvement, including care homes.
  https://hub.careinspectorate.com/national-policy-and-legislation/health-and-social-care-standards/

• Northern Ireland Social Care Council: Standards and Guidance
  Useful Northern Ireland signposting for standards of conduct and practice for social care workers and employers.
  https://niscc.info/standards-and-guidance/

• Department of Health Northern Ireland: Care standards
  Northern Ireland Department of Health page for care standards, including residential care home standards focused on dignity, wellbeing, safety, and quality of life.
  https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/care-standards