GEN119 Act as a resource to groups, communities and organisations as they address their issues and concerns around health and wellbeing

Overview

This standard covers enabling groups, communities and organisations to address issues which affect their health and social well-being. This involves enabling people to determine their own issues and concerns and working with them as they plan how to address these. The role is not to set the agenda for the people with whom you are working but to be there as a resource, meeting the needs of the community, organisation or group as it sees fit. This would include encouraging people to take realistic steps so that they can see their achievements and evaluate areas of success. Good practice also suggests that the organisation, community or group should be enabled to evaluate, review and modify their plans in the light of their experiences so that they are able to learn and progress. The focus within this standard is that the work of the practitioner should be driven by the concerns and issues of the community, organisation and group with whom they are working. This means in effect that your role needs to be negotiated and renegotiated with the community, organisation or group as the work proceeds, with the agenda and role being driven by the needs and concerns of the people involved. You need to be able to manage any tensions between your own issues, concerns and values, those of the people with whom you are working and those of the agency for which you are working. There is the potential for conflict with the employing or commissioning agency. The approach promoted within this standard is non-directive, enabling and collaborative. This standard applies to any health practitioner who works with organisations, communities and groups using organisational development or community development approaches to enable them to address issues which affect their health and wellbeing. It is also likely to be applicable to those whose roles cover consultative and consumer issues. Users of this standard will need to ensure that practice reflects up to date information and policies. Version No 1

Knowledge and Understanding

You will need to know and understand:

1. the reason for encouraging people to explore and discuss the choices which they have made and consider the different implications and how to do this effectively
2. the support mechanism which may be available to the organisation, community and group and how these can be accessed
3. the different ways in which you could act as a resource to the organisation, community and group
4. the reasons for allowing and encouraging the group, community and organisation to determine for themselves the ways in which you should act as a resource and how to do this effectively
5. the purpose of encouraging organisations, communities and groups to take as much responsibility for themselves as they are able and how this links into their learning and development
6. how to balance the role which you take with your responsibility to others and your employing agency
7. how to undertake the different methods of organisational and community support effectively and in a non-directive way which encourages others to develop into these roles themselves
8. how to maintain contact with the organisation, community and group to a level which offers the appropriate amount of support, which is realistic and encourages them to move forward
9. the rights which people have to change their minds and try new approaches and how they can be facilitated so to do
10. the purpose which evaluation has and its value for the future development of the groups, communities and organisations, the individuals within them, your own practice and your employing agency
11. how evaluation can be used as a means of learning and developing in its own right
12. how to encourage organisations, communities and groups to think of evaluation constructively and focus on its aid to learning and development
13. the purpose of encouraging individuals within groups and communities to contribute their own views and share these with the broader group
14. the purpose of evaluating not only achievements but also aspects which have been less successful and how this can be encouraged
15. the purpose of encouraging frank and honest communication
16. the reasons for thinking about development in the context of the wider community
17. what is meant by ‘welcoming diversity' and how groups, communities and organisations can be supported to welcome diversity for their own thinking and development
18. the purpose of making conflict of interest explicit and how to work with others to solve them
19. the range of factors which can affect success and how to plan for them or avoid them in the future
20. the sort of changes which might be made to groups, community and organisational agendas and plans and why these might occur
21. how to encourage and support groups, communities and organisations to consider any changes which they might need to make and to think through the implications of these
22. the purpose of keeping records of the review and change process
23. the reasons for encouraging organisations, communities and groups to make their own records and the role of this in the learning process
24. how to offer support groups, communities and organisations so that they can move forward to the next phase and think about how they will develop further

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. encourage groups, communities and organisation to discuss the choices which they have made and the reasons for their chosen courses of action
2. explore the implications of choices with the groups, communities and organisations concerned in a manner which encourages them to understand the implications for their daily lives and any difficulties which might arise
3. clarify and offer accurate information on the range of support mechanisms which will be available to the group, community and organisation
4. explore the different ways in which you could act as a resource to the group, community and organisation with them when this is requested
5. agree methods of acting as a resource that:
1. are appropriate to the agreed course of action
2. are agreed with the group, community and organisation concerned and any others who will be involved in their implementation
3. do not compromise your role or that of your employing agency
6. act in a manner which is appropriate for the people concerned and encourages them to take maximum ownership
7. maintain contact to a level which offers the amount of support necessary and is realistic given other factors
8. use methods of working with the group, community and organisation that achieve the optimum balance between encouraging them to take as much responsibility and action themselves whilst encouraging them to seek further support when they are in need of it
9. acknowledge and respect the group's community's and organisation's right to change its mind and consider alternative approaches
10. encourage groups, communities and organisations to see the value of evaluation and the way in which it can contribute to their growth, development and effectiveness
11. use evaluative processes that allow the different members to contribute their own views and perspectives and reflect on these on the context of the wider group
12. assist groups, communities and organisations to evaluate systematically:
1. their achievements, those aspects in which they have been less successful and the reasons for each of these
2. your role and that of other agencies in supporting the group
13. actively encourage individuals to offer their opinions and views
14. ensure the way in which you communicate encourages openness and a frank exchange of views
15. encourage groups and communities to take account of the interest of the wider communities, to welcome diversity and evaluate the success of their actions in relation to the community as a whole
16. explain any conflicts of interest that affect you to the groups, communities and organisations and discuss the various ways of dealing with them
17. reach agreement with the group, community or organisation as to any changes which need to be made and how these will be achieved
18. ensure that agreed changes are justifiable and capable of implementation
19. encourage and support groups, communities and organisations to consider the implications which the changes may have for them and any others with whom they are involved
20. make accurate, legible and complete records of the review process
21. support groups, communities and organisations to plan how they will move forward to the next phase of development

Additional Information

This National Occupational Standard was developed by Skills for Health. This standard replaced MH61. This standard links with the following dimension within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (October 2004): Dimension: HWB1 Promotion of health and wellbeing and prevention of adverse effects on health and wellbeing