Synergy between Professionals in Schools and Institutions of Social Services - Essay Example

Working Partnerships between Professionals in Schools and s of Social Services al Affiliation) Conflicts that May Arise between, Cottesbrook School, Social Service Worker and Teachers The case of Harry created a need for participation of different professionals, leading a working partnership between his teachers and a social worker. It is apparent that such partnerships can be characterized by various incidences of conflicts owing to the fact that the professionals engaged in the case are from different disciplines. The first conflict that can occur in this case is the conflict of Ideas: one of his Harry’s teachers suggested that Harry could be regarded as emotionally impaired owing to the fact that he had not recovered fully as he had expected. On the other hand, the social worker believed that Harry was not emotionally impaired and could not be certified as an emotionally impaired person as this could affect the rest of his life. The social worker concluded from his assessment that Harry was rather a happy little Kid. In addition, the partnership between the teachers and the social worker was exhibited by a conflict of interest. That is, was the teachers wanted or required in order to save Harry’s situation was different from the requirements or the needs of the social worker. Specifically, conflicting interest occurred when one of the teachers suggested that Harry should have been certified as an emotionally impaired person. This was rejected by the social worker, who described Harry as a happy little child, who is not emotionally impaired. Challenges that Occurred in the Partnership between Harry’s Teachers and the Social Worker The cause of the challenges was majorly due to incidences of conflicting ideas as well as conflict of interest. These conflicts led to time wastage in relation to implementation of the program that was formulated in order to assist Harry recover from his condition. Owing to the fact that the social worker rejected Harry’s teacher proposition that could certify him as an emotionally impaired person, he dropped the program that had been formulated by the social worker to facilitate Harry’s recovery. From the teacher’s perspective, it is seems time constraint was another challenges that was faced in the process of solving Harry’s challenges. He had predicted that Harry should have recovered by the end of three months, a prediction that was not provided by the social worker. This challenge can be attributed to the fact that the school curriculum is meant to be covered within a specific period of time, hence the suggestion of the teacher that Harry be certified an emotionally impaired he does not recover fully by the end of three months. Another pertinent challenge that seems to have characterized the situation could be associated with the processes of solving the incidences of conflict between the teacher and the social worker. The teacher had already dropped the program due to the fact that he was upset by rejection of his suggestion. This might require the intervention of third parties, who are charged with responsibility of resolving the conflict between the social worker and the teacher in order to reach a common agreement that could benefit Harry. Improving the Partnership A proper working relationship is crucial between professionals working in partnerships. However, there are certain attributes that are usually applied to facilitate a harmonious relationship between professionals from different disciplines to facilitate their efforts directed towards achieving common goals (Carnwell & Carson, 2007). Taking the case of Harry into consideration; the partnership between the social worker and the teacher can be improved through trust and confidence; that is, the process should be undertaken through trust and confidence whereby the teachers believes in expertise and skills of the social worker and vice-versa. In addition, Carnell & Carson 2007 also posits that such kind of a partnership, which involves the participation of professionals from different disciplines, can be improved through respect for specialist skills and ideas. It is evident that Harry’s teacher did not taken into consideration the fact that the social worker is an expert in solving cognitive challenges or problems, hence his action of dropping the suggested program. However, this situation could have been improved by creating a scenario of mutual respect in relation to each other’s expertise and skills. The main purpose of the partnership between the social worker and the teacher is driven by a common goal. To improved Harry’s cognitive challenges; hence improve his relationship with other children as well as academic performance. Therefore, there should be willingness from his teachers and the social worker to work towards achieving this common goal. Carnell & Carson 2007 also asserts that such kind of a partnership can also be improved through dimension of non-hierarchy; that is, none of the partners should be perceived or viewed as more superior. They should work in equal level basis and facilitate consultation and respect towards each other’s ideologies. The reaction of the teacher through dropping the program that was suggested by the social worker was unprofessional. In order to improve this partnership, the process should be conducted in an intellectual dimension and though proper cooperation. Effective Partnership in Terms of Theory On a theoretical perspective, this kind of partnership is referred as problem-oriented partnerships. Such kinds of partnerships are usually developed to facilitate meeting specific goals i.e. in the case of Harry, the partnership between his teacher and the social worker was meant to improve his mental conditions in order to make him behave in a normal way. Research has shown that such kinds of partnerships are usually developed when a problem is identified publicly. In order to facilitate the efficacy and efficiency of such partnerships, it is pertinent that they are undertaken in a negotiation and power-sharing manner, basically characterized by non-hierarchy in case it is undertaken by professionals from different disciplines. This is crucial owing to the fact that it facilitates an understanding of each person’s roles across the disciplines. There are also some attributes that have been associated with effective partnerships. Researchers believe that partnerships between professionals of different disciplines that adhere to such attributes are usually subject to success in regard to meeting their goals and objectives (Griffin, 2002). One of these attributes is trust and confidence in accountability; this attributes involves a scenario where professional partners believe in the capacities of their fellow partners in relation to solving common objectives (Griffin, 2002). In addition, some researchers have argued that effective partnerships can be achieved through mutual respect of each other’s intellectual capacity and expertise. Proper partnerships should also be guided by common goals that are achieved through team work and consultation. On the other hand, these partnerships are usually facilitated by mutual agreements in relation to meeting objectives (Eastaway & Gilligan, 2000). Formal and Informal Partnerships The concept of formal partnerships entails agreements made between two or more individuals under certain guidelines or legal procedures indicating the commitment of each party towards solving their common goals (Fraser, 2006). On the other hand, the corpus of informal partnerships does not involve the use of stipulated guidelines or legal procedures to facilitate an agreement between two or more people (Fraser, 2006). Level 2 Collaboration and its Relevance to the Case Study Collaboration as a model of partnerships is described as a scenario of cooperation between two different parties working together to solve common problems or to achieve common objectives (Coleman, 1988). Collaboration is usually sub-divided into five fundamental levels; the second level is cooperation, which involves: Sharing or provision of appropriate data to each party; making independent information; facilitating formal communication as well as relative definition of roles (Willmott, 1989). The factors of level 2 collaboration are pertinent in relation to Harry’s case; application of this concept would have led to reduction of conflict caused by lack of an opportunity to make independent decisions. Moreover, this level of collaboration as a model of communication would have facilitated a process of formal communication between Harry’s teacher and the social worker. Conclusion It is apparent that the attributes of partnerships play a crucial role in facilitating achievement of goals of partners. Taking the case of Harry’s teacher and the social worker, it seems that there are certain attributes that were not taken into consideration i.e. the platform to make independent decisions, compelling the social worker to engage the uncooperative teacher. However, most importantly, communication seems to be the most important element of effective partnerships; it seems there might have been poor communication between the social worker and the teacher leading to misunderstanding of each other’s roles. Bibliography Allan, G. (1996) Kinship and Friendship in Modern Britain, London: Oxford University Press. Beck, U. (1992) Risk Society, London: Sage. Beck, U. (1999) What is Globalization?, Cambridge: Polity Press. Beck, U. (2001) Living your life in a runaway world: individualization, globalization and politics, in W. Hutton and A. Giddens. (eds.) On The Edge. Living with global capitalism, London: Vintage.  Bell, C. & Newby, H. (1971) Community Studies, London: Unwin. 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