Partnership Working
Effective partnership working is a crucial factor in the delivery of good quality and coherent careers education and IAG provision. Achieving it requires a shared understanding of roles, responsibilities, tasks and working arrangements. As part of their strategic planning, consortia and their partner organisations should review how they use the following mechanisms, which have a proven track record in supporting the development of effective partnership working.
Local strategy documents
Several areas have negotiated and implemented strategic guidelines (e.g. principles and codes of practice) to help partner organisations deliver good quality careers education and IAG. These underpin collaborative working, encourage a consistent approach to delivery and help to secure the impartial IAG that enhances young people’s progression. The guidelines usually have explicit links to other locally agreed strategic documentation (e.g. 14-19 learning entitlements, inclusion policies, information sharing and health and safety protocols).
Partnership agreements
Partnership agreements are working documents and subject to regular review. Developing them allows those involved to discuss, negotiate, agree and review provision and practice at regular intervals to ensure that they meet young people’s needs. The agreements set out what each partner will do and the resources each will commit to specified activities. Most include details of operational arrangements and delivery plans. The agreements enable partners to work to their strengths, boosting overall capacity to meet young people’s needs. They act as a statement of intent about how partners wish to develop provision and practice and help to ensure that there is a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities. They are particularly important in helping to clarify the distinctive contribution that learning providers, external IAG providers and other partners make to supporting young people.
Communication strategies and systems
Good communication strategies and systems contribute to the smooth operation of consortia and organisational activities. They:
- ensure that people know what is happening, when and why it is happening, who is responsible for different activities and how to get in touch with them
- facilitate the exchange and transfer of accurate information between partners and within individual organisations
- support the dissemination of ideas, experiences and good practice
- promote consistency in provision and practice – e.g. by supporting the use of standardised systems, processes, resources and support materials for record-keeping, referral, individual learning planning, transition, information about post-14 opportunities, quality assurance and so on
- safeguard dates for meetings and significant activities involving several partners – e.g. parents’ evenings, review sessions, taster activities, information events, work experience, summer schools and 14-19 Diploma programme recruitment and induction.
A continuing professional development programme
Locally devised joint training programmes enable consortia and partner organisations to meet identified needs and to build capacity and skills over time. They also support local networking, which helps to improve working relationships and raise awareness of other people’s roles and the knowledge, skills and experience that they bring to those roles.
Questions to ask yourself
- How do current arrangements for partnership working compare with those outlined above?
- How do you know?
- What, if anything, could you do to enhance the effectiveness of current arrangements?
See also:
Please click on the items below to view, print or download.
Information
Ideas
DCSF: 14-19 Manual of Good Practice
Tools
Quick Guide: Who should do what?
Weblinks