Multi-Agency
My involvement in the multi-agency was a great learning experience for me. The work required an assortment of skills that necessitated the involvement of care provider professionals. Each member of the team provided crucial skills with my role of health visitor primarily involving checking on the victims’ health. I was also in charge of the multi-agency meeting in charge of guiding the whole team towards achieving intended goals. The other members involved were a police officer and a social worker with whom I worked closely. The experience offered insight into the legislation, policies, and practices that are applicable to multi-agency working. Also, I learned of the various challenges and barriers of multiagency working especially as the chairperson.
Knowledge gained from my role as Health Visitor and Chairperson of the Multi-Agency Meeting
My role as a health visitor was essential in offering first aid care to the victim and also directing them towards better care as she recovered from the traumatic experience. With my new role as chairperson of the multi-agency meeting, I was forced to take on a more comprehensive role other than my usual treatment of abuse victims. From my management of the three member professionals team, my leadership skills that were previously unknown to me were engaged as I tried my best to effectively guide the meeting agenda. From my previous studies on Belbin’s theories of group roles, I better understood, the idea of team roles and how they relate to each other towards successful outcomes. According to HAV, if an individual in a team is given more than one ‘natural role’, how well they balance them is vital in better understanding the dynamics of the team and how well it will perform as a unit. Using this theoretical knowledge and practically applying it to the situation at hand, I was able to suitably mix professional member roles and appropriately assign key tasks that may not be part of the normal job description of the team members. Belbin’s theories helped me better recognize, share, and converse about our roles towards improving the work unit for optimum effectiveness and efficiency.
Additionally, using the Tuckman model describing stages of group formation, I was able to better prepare for the potentially inevitable challenges and barriers that often present themselves in such meetings. HAV acknowledges the daunting task of creating teams and states that Tuckman’s model highlights five key stages namely, forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Using these stages as guidelines, I was able to effectively gather an effective team. However, there were several barriers and challenges that hindered my work. For one, during the forming stage, there was a barrier of uncertainty especially about my role as chairperson considering my inexperience as a leader. The storming stage made the mater worse with a lack of effective communication being the key barrier. To manage this issues to the best of my abilities, I decided to convey my position as leader of the team and explain why we needed to clarify our goals not only as individual members but also as a purposeful unit. Additionally, I streamlined open communication channels and sharing of ideas.
In an effort to lessen the friction and conflict that could occur during the meetings, I explained the Tuckman model of group stages to my team members so they better understood themselves as part of the unit. After that explanation, there was a sense of cohesion and unity which led to swift attainment of key objectives. With a clear and stable structure formed, I was able to effectively delegate tasks and help the team focus on making significant progress. At the adjournment stage we were all happy with the work we had done in not only aiding the victim and her child using a care package After the work was done, we had a small celebration with reflection of our achievements and failures and how we can improve in future. By the end of the meeting project, I can with certainty say that I have made some good friends with whom I hope to work with in future projects and wish them the best in their future endeavors.
Legislative and Policy Frameworks Guiding Multi-Agency Work
Apart from learning more about myself, the multiagency meeting availed immense knowledge of the inner workings of multiagency projects especially the guiding legislative and policy frameworks. I noted that there exist multiple legal frameworks especially for police involvement in domestic abuse cases. The police are especially required to ascertain cases of domestic abuse while still avoiding inverting on suspects’ rights since in some cases there are misunderstandings especially from witnesses. I learned that social workers just like health workers were required to adhere to a code of ethics which can be perceived as a moral compass to guide their activities. This fact helped me relate more to the social worker in the group meeting and better work with them towards developing an effective care plan for the victim.
I learned that in the UK, social and health care services for the public were controlled by strict policies to ensure quality as per the national standards of care provision. Evidently, these policies particularly focus on helping the elderly and mentally ill with risk assessment principles and guidance for best practices being paramount. Applicable policies and legislations were key points of discussions in our meetings especially towards avoiding potential pitfalls. Strategically, I learned that these policies and legislative guidelines when used as regulatory measures controlled how and why we performed our various roles as professionals. While cognizant of the importance of these polices and guidelines, at times, I felt like there was some bureaucratic hindrance limiting our effectiveness. Delivery of services, with consideration of the bureaucracy involved in the process, was severely limited by the need for each member to follow protocol as per their professional guidelines which at times contradicted the group strategies.
Conclusion
From my time working closely with other professionals in the multi-agency meeting I have learned much, not only about myself, but also regarding the importance and benefits of cooperation towards achieving a common goal. I feel like I have gained immense leadership skills from my time serving as chairperson of the multiagency meeting. I have realized the many challenges of group work and how best to address such complexities. By applying the policies and legislative guidelines of each professional involved I learned how to mobilize resources towards effectively streamlining efforts and promptly meeting care needs. I feel like I have grown and developed not only as a professional but also as a human being and for that I greatly appreciate the opportunity.