This page is designed to answer the following questions:
- 1.4a Explain why it is important to work in teams and in partnership with others (Care Certificate, Standard 1: Understand your role)
- 3.1 Explain why it is important to work in partnership with others (Level 2 Diploma in Care, Responsibilities of a care worker)
- 3.1 Explain why it is important to work in partnership with others (Level 3 Diploma in Care, Responsibilities of a care worker)
- 1.2 Explain the importance of partnership working with colleagues, other professionals, and others (Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care, Personal development in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings)
- 4.1 Analyse the importance of working in partnership with others (Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care, Personal development in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings)
NOTE: This page has been quality assured for 2023 as per our Quality Assurance policy.
On this page, we will explain why it is important to work in partnership with others.
It is impossible for a single person to perform all the tasks related to an individual’s care, not only in terms of expertise and experience but also in terms of time. Some tasks may require more than one person to execute safely, and other tasks may require specialist training, qualifications or experience.
Therefore, we must all work in close partnership with others to achieve the best outcomes for individuals receiving care services.
You will probably work as part of a team, sharing the workload by working in shifts. It is imperative that you have good working relationships with the other members of your team, including your manager, so that you can communicate effectively with one another, be consistent and provide the best levels of care for your clients.
You will also be called upon to work in partnership with other individuals and organisations, such as an individual’s advocate, GP or dietitian. When receiving specialist advice from other professions, you should respect their expertise and follow their instructions precisely. If you have any concerns with their recommendations, you should discuss this with them directly.
And, of course, you will be working in partnership with the individuals that you care for and their family to ensure your practice encompasses person-centred values.
As well as enabling positive outcomes for the individuals that you support, partnership-working allows all team members to learn from one another and increase their knowledge, skills and practice. Ideas can be shared, and a positive, mutually-supportive environment can develop. Collaboration between different agencies or organisations also means that resources can be shared and (with proper coordination) work will not be duplicated.