What helps build emotionally healthy relationships with other agencies

1. What helps build emotionally healthy relationships with other agencies ? Ray Middleton and Peppa Leverton Personality Disorder Accommodation Service - Community Links

2. Plan for the Workshop Share our experience working in the PDCN. Small group exercise � what helps and hinders good relationships with other agencies? Discussion in wider group.

3. Introductions Please introduce your self and briefly say what the service does that you are involved with.

4. The Personality Disorder Clinical Network The PDCN in Leeds is a multi � agency network of services from both the statutory and voluntary sector.

5. Complex Needs Requires Multi-agency working Increasingly people in services are presenting with multiple or �complex needs� In our role we could not deliver our service without other agencies involvement with the client (e.g. Care- coordination, benefits, occupational activity, psychological input). With good multi agency working the service user gets a better service and a better outcome from services.

6. Realistic and Accountable Practice Working well with other agencies allows us to look at all the options that can go into someone�s care plan. Workers and the service user can share different views and agree realistic expectations and the limits of what they can do in their role. This may involve different philosophies / world views and ways of working. We have needed to listen, respect and consider other views. This makes multi agency working more challenging than working as a lone service. An agreed support package means you as a worker can be more confident that the plan is justifiable as well as being reasonable and realistic.

7. Knowing role and limits of my own service and other services involved It has helped listening to the roles and limits of other services and then them listening to what we can and can not realistically be expected to do in our role in meeting the service user�s needs. This allows everyone�s expectations to be managed realistically and all involved to be less anxious and clearer about each other�s roles and responsibilities. This can avoid duplication of roles or conflicts about responsibilities. The end result is a better quality service & better outcome for the client and I feel more confident in my role.

8. Share the risk With any job and role there are risks to assess for the service user and for the workers or service as a whole. If we carry all the risk responsibility our selves we can feel overwhelmed by anxiety / stress. The more we can involve other agencies and service users in the risk assessment and management process, the better the quality of the process and the less anxious workers feel � less chance of �burn out�.

9. Strength and Weaknesses We all have different strengths and weaknesses, both in our selves as people and in our roles and limits. By working collaboratively with other agencies and the service user - we can allow other people�s strengths to cover our weak areas and our particular strengths can contribute and cover the weak areas in others. This requires skill and effort as we need to work at having good open trusting relationships with others. This needs to be reflective and open to reviewing any plans or introducing new ideas. We need to accept we can not do everything!

10. Workshop activity The examples shared shows that building relationships with other agencies can be both a challenging and rewarding experience. Now take some time (15 minutes) to discuss and list what you think helps build healthy relationships with other agencies and what are some of the barriers to maintaining good relationships. Also share any examples of good practice you have of multi-agency working. We will then share and discuss our answers for the final part of the workshop session (20 minutes).