Develop and sustain working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders

This standard focuses on improving provision through collaboration with others. It is about developing and sustaining collaborative, productive working relationships with others in order to share resources to improve provision and provide the best possible opportunities for people in the community.  It involves being aware of the roles, responsibilities, interests and concerns of colleagues, agencies and stakeholders and working with and supporting them in various ways. The need to monitor and review the productiveness of working relationships with colleagues, agencies and stakeholders is a key part of this standard.

You establish working relationships and respect the roles and responsibilities of colleagues and stakeholders, actively seeking to understand their perspectives. You identify and resolve conflicts, monitor working relationships and identify aspects that can be improved. You also create a climate of trust providing support to help move difficult or complex situations forward.

In the context of this standard, as well as colleagues, agencies and stakeholders, 'others' can include external partners as well as local, national or global communities of interest or practice.

1. establish working relationships with colleagues, partners and stakeholders
2. recognise and respect the roles, responsibilities, interests and concerns of colleagues
3. identify and work with people in other organisations who are empowered to take forward joint work
4. establish and agree shared aims, working arrangements, key performance measures, methods for monitoring and evaluation, and develop coordinated approaches towards these
5. share information and communicate effectively with others using relevant communication tools and technologies
6. provide information to others in accordance with organisational procedures
7. consult with others when making key decisions and when undertaking activities
8. fulfil agreements made with others and revise these agreements so that they remain current
9. monitor and review the productiveness of working relationships with others, seeking and providing feedback, in order to identify areas for improvement
10. challenge any prejudice, use of stereotypes, discrimination and unethical or oppressive behaviour
11. promote inclusivity, diversity and equality of opportunity
12. maintain confidentiality and security of individual information that meets relevant legal requirements and organisational policies
13. demonstrate understanding of legal requirements, local procedures and own accountability for safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults
14. follow the legal, organisational, codes of practice and policies relevant to developing and sustaining productive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
15. meet the values and principles in relation to the requirements of this standard

1. the value and benefit of developing productive working relationships with others
2. the principles and methods of joint and multi-disciplinary working
3. why it is important to have protocols for inter-agency working and the key areas that such protocols should cover
4. how to identify stakeholders, including background information, the nature of their interest in your organisation and their expectations
5. the services offered by others, how they relate to the provision offered by your own organisation, and how to use and access them
6. who from the relevant agencies, partners and stakeholders can provide information and take action, and who to contact there when considering both strategic and operational issues
7. the importance of recognising, taking account of and respecting the roles, responsibilities, interests, concerns and attitudes to potential risks of colleagues and stakeholders
8. how to assess the risks of joint working and ways to minimise these
9. the different types of stakeholder and key principles which underpin the 'stakeholder' concept
10. the existing agreements with colleagues and stakeholders and their identified information needs
11. the importance of monitoring and taking account of wider developments and political issues in relation to stakeholders  
12. why you must take into account the culture and values of other organisations and stakeholders
13. the power, influence and politics within your organisation and culture
14. the standards of behaviour and performance that are expected in your organisation
15. principles and tools of effective communication and how to apply them
16. the importance of creating a climate of trust and mutual respect where you have no authority, or shared authority, over those you are working with
17. why communication with colleagues and stakeholders on fulfilment of agreements or any problems affecting or preventing fulfilment is important
18. the importance of understanding difficult situations and issues from colleagues' perspectives and providing support, where necessary, to move things forward
19. how to identify disagreements and/or conflicts of interest with colleagues and stakeholders, the damage they can cause to learners and organisations and the techniques that can be used to manage or remove them
20. how to identify and meet the information needs of colleagues and stakeholders
21. the information it is appropriate to provide to colleagues and stakeholders and the factors that need to be taken into account, including your organisation's and legal procedures regarding confidentiality, data protection and reportable disclosures
22. how to consult with colleagues and stakeholders in relation to key decisions and activities
23. how to provide, get and make effective use of feedback from colleagues and stakeholders to improve performance
24. how to identify and use the mechanisms in place for monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
25. how to delegate responsibilities and allocate resources when building networks
26. the legal, organisational, codes of practice and policies relevant to developing and sustaining productive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
27. the boundaries and limits of your own professional expertise

Resources

This covers any physical or human resource that supports the adult learning process and could include technical equipment, IT-based resources, buildings, sources of specialist knowledge, local assets.