This page is designed to answer the following questions:
- 1.4b Explain why it is important to work in partnership with key people, advocates and others who are significant to an individual (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.
It is important to work in partnership with key people, advocates and others who are significant to an individual because you can all bring together your expertise and experience for the benefit of the of the individual.
All parties should have mutual respect for one another and value each other’s input as you all have the same goal – the best interests of the individual. However, there may be times when partners have disagreements so compromise may be needed.
Support Workers
Support workers spend a lot of time with the individual so are best placed to understand their needs and preferences and make regular observations. For example, if a GP prescribes a cream for individual with a rash, the support worker can remind them to apply it, help them apply it correctly and observe if it is working.
Family/friends
Those that are closest to the individual will have know the, for a long time and can have valuable insights into what works best for them. For example, if an individual that has difficulty communicating verbally makes a certain gesture, the family may know what it means and pass this information onto the support team.
Advocates
Advocates are people that will stand up for the individual and speak on their behalf. Sometimes, people that work for organisations may have a conflict of interest in deciding what is best for an individual so advocates play an important role in making sure their voice is heard.
Other Key People
Other key people may include nurses, GPs, psychologists, surgeons, social workers, dietitians, Occupational Therapists, Speech & Language Therapists etc.