Working with children, young people and adults, we spend a huge amount of time building strong relationships with those around us. We invest lots of time in understanding the intricate personal triggers, strengths and needs for every individual. We acknowledge the lived experiences every individual has had, and we come to know what works to support them, what doesn’t, and what pushes a person’s buttons.
Our detailed individual support plans then reflect the work we put in to ensure that we can meet the personal needs of the individual. So, when a colleague contradicts or challenges the way we are doing something, this can be a difficult thing for us to consider.
Like everything, we can’t know something until we learn it. For some members of staff, their experiences may not have brought them to understand behaviour in the way that we do. We can also learn from our colleagues and be open to alternative viewpoints. Different perspectives help us to consider individual needs more broadly and perhaps consider options we may not have thought about on our own.
The challenge is then to move from sharing our different viewpoints to creating a consistent, joined-up approach that we all understand, accept and advocate.
And that’s not always an easy task!
Moments of challenge and reflection are healthy
Appropriate and professional challenge is a brilliant thing. We know that over time, the needs and behaviours of those we support can change and evolve. Without challenge and reflection, we remain static. Challenging what we do and, importantly, why we’re doing it, is imperative for reflective practice.
Appropriate challenge is also a sign of professional strength. Within our organisations, we are always working to create cultures that would encourage someone to speak out if they feel that something isn’t right. This can be harder if anyone feel that speaking up or challenging existing practices could be seen as an identifier of their inability to do the job.
We also want to hear new ideas and strategies from our teams to consider. When we have a variety of options and strategies to choose from, we can evaluate which we think will have the best impact to support the individuals we’re caring for.
Working constructively with colleagues
Despite knowing that it’s good to be professionally challenged, it can be very hard not to take it as a personal criticism. Conversations can easily become heated and relationships damaged by conflict.
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