This page is designed to answer the following questions:
- 4.3 Deal with challenges (Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care, Relationships and partnership working)
NOTE: This page has been quality assured for 2023 as per our Quality Assurance policy.
When confronted with challenges, you should demonstrate that you are able to deal with them constructively.
We have previously discussed how to manage conflicts and dilemmas with colleagues and many of these principles will also apply to partners. However, you should remember that power will be evenly distributed amongst partners so the relationship will be slightly different to a manager/team member relationship.
You will have already agreed to objectives, policies, protocols and procedures with partners and when there are disagreements, these may need to be referred to as evidence for your argument and to establish common ground. Reminding ourselves of the purpose of the partnership can help to keep the focus on what really matters.
When conflicts or dilemmas arise, it is important to take the time to identify the underlying causes and issues. This should be done in a non-judgmental manner without bias or favouritism to equalize power or position. A calm and collected approach should be taken that acknowledges and is sensitive to the feelings of others.
You can then support other professionals and agencies to come to an amicable solution by providing information and using your skills in conflict resolution. However, this should only be insofar as your own duty of care is not compromised. For example, if you believe that a professional’s approach risks the safety of service users, you should report it immediately, using the appropriate channels.
Where conflicts or dilemmas cannot be resolved amicably, there may be a need to approach third-party mediation or arbitration services for a resolution.