Elements of competence
PA1.2.1 Enable others to solve problems and tackle issues arising in practice PA1.2.2 Enable others to learn and benefit from one's experience
Information about this unit
Summary
This unit describes standards for contributing to the development of the knowledge and practice of others. The first element focuses on enabling others to solve problems and tackle issues. Here the practitioner uses their knowledge and experience to guide others towards solutions. The problems and issues may be interpersonal, organisational or practice based. The second element focuses on enabling others to learn and benefit from one’s own experience. This is based on the belief that practitioners have a duty to pass on their
learning, either in a supervisory capacity or as one colleague to another; in this way, practice as a whole can develop. ‘Others’ may be practitioners from the same discipline, those from other disciplines, colleagues working in the same organisation or in another, or any one else with whom the practitioner comes into contact.
A key focus of this unit is continual professional development which provides teams and individuals with added interest, information and motivation to undertake their work. It also captures those situations where individual practitioners are asked to provide a different perspective to others on a particular problem, usually due to their different experience or background.
Who this unit is aimed at
The unit is designed to be applicable to all practitioners in the health and social care sector who are accountable for their own actions and have the responsibility for passing their knowledge on to others.
Principles of good practice
A major focus within this unit is the practitioner’s responsibility to contribute to the development of others either through helping them solve problems and tackle issues or through enabling them to learn from the practitioner’s experience.
Relationship to other units
This unit relates to unit PA1.1 where the worker is developing their own knowledge and practice. This unit is drawn from the National Occupational Standards for Professional Activity in Health Promotion and Care and also appears as unit CSC97CA_CU8 in the Care standards.
Element
PA1.2.1 Enable others to solve problems and tackle issues arising in practice Performance criteria
The practitioner will need to:
(1) monitor carefully the extent to which people may need support to solve problems and tackle issues
(2) make interventions which are appropriate to: - the people concerned
- the role of the practitioner - the needs of the activity - the location and the time
(3) explore the nature and extent of the problems and issues with the people concerned in an appropriate manner
(4) allocate resources to enable people to solve problems and tackle issues which are justifiable given their nature and other work demands
(5) analyse and set out differing perceptions of the problem and issues
(6) offer constructive suggestions to those involved as to how the problems and issues might be looked at in new ways
(7) use reasoning strategies appropriate to the problem to propose solutions
(8) approach others for their support about problems and issues beyond the practitioner's competence
(9) use decision making strategies which consider the full range of potential solutions and outcomes and are appropriate to the issues and problems concerned
(10) offer solutions which balance the competing interests of those involved and have the potential to succeed in the longer term
(11) encourage those involved in solving problems and tackling issues to detail who will do what and by when
Range includes:
1 Resources:
a) the practitioner’s time b) financial support c) access to others
2 Reasoning strategies:
a) analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)
b) appraisal of the options available c) cost-benefit analysis
d) evidence from research, practice, legal decisions e) application of quality standards and codes of practice
Explanatory note
Performance criterion 4 means that the practitioner will need to balance a number of factors such as: the severity and criticality of the problem or issue with the risks inherent in it not being considered, the disruption which may result if it is not tackled (or if it is), the benefits in the short and long term for solving the problem and the effects which it might be having on others.
Element
PA1.2.2 Enable others to learn and benefit from one's experience Performance criteria
The practitioner will need to:
(1) identify and agree adequate and appropriate opportunities for others to learn
(2) identify and select relevant and current information about knowledge and practice and summarise it in a format suitable for dissemination
(3) disseminate appropriately developments in knowledge and practice which result from one’s own research to those who are likely to have an interest in them
(4) provide information to individuals and groups in relevant contexts and present it at a pace, and in a style and form, which is appropriate to their needs
(5) give recipients opportunities to ask questions, seek clarification and give feedback (6) given ongoing work constraints, offer appropriate support to colleagues to enable them to
undertake their own research effectively
Range includes:
1 Knowledge and practice:
a) technology
b) approaches to working c) concepts, models and theories d) strategies and policies e) legislation 2 Presented: a) orally b) in writing c) electronically d) diagrammatically
Description of knowledge, understanding and skills needed for the standards in this unit
A Problem solving
1 how to monitor unobtrusively the support which colleagues and others may need 2 how to make appropriate interventions to individuals when considering their role, their
relative status in the organisation, and other constraints in the situation 3 the levels of detail which are necessary to solve different problems
4 the purpose of exploring problems and issues with other parties and who may be able to help in their resolution
5 how to evaluate the resources which need to be spent on problem solving in comparison with other work demands
6 the factors which would suggest that the problem is more worthy of attention than the demands of ongoing work and how to reschedule to allow for the problem to be resolved 7 the broader contexts in which everyone works and the particular situations of colleagues
which might affect how they work and tackle problems at particular points in time 8 the information sources which might throw light on the problem and how to access these 9 the purpose of gaining different perspectives on problems and how to best analyse and
represent these to move to a resolution
10 how to set out problems and issues in different ways to encourage people to recognise what they have in common
11 how to use a range of reasoning strategies for solving problems
12 who might be able to be approached for support and assistance when problems are beyond the practitioner’s competence
13 the different sources of evidence available from others’ practice
14 how to achieve the best balance (which people are likely to support in the longer term) between the interests of different parties
15 the purpose of developing an action plan which clearly details who is to do what and by when
B Knowledge and practice in practitioner’s area of responsibility and interest
1 the range of sources available in own area of practice and how this compares with the other practitioner groups
2 recent developments in technology, approaches to working, concepts, models and theories, strategies and policies, and legislation which are likely to impact on the area of work
3 how to summarise information for a variety of different audiences and in a form which others can best use
C Learning - opportunities, styles, strategies and feedback
1 the different opportunities which individuals and groups may have to learn and the different approaches to learning
2 how to evaluate whether the learning opportunities are adequate and appropriate for the individuals and groups concerned
3 how to structure information for use in learning materials
4 the range of different learning styles which people have and how this should affect learning design
5 how to support people to self assess and identify their key learning needs and targets
D Research and development - methodology
1 the purpose of monitoring changes in practice based on others’ research and in disseminating the results
2 qualitative and quantitative research methods relevant to own area of practice and the advantages and disadvantages of each
3 how to summarise advances for others in ways which will best inform their work 4 strategies and methods for evaluating others’ work and its relevance to own area of
practice
5 how one can evaluate realistically the outcomes of one’s own action research
6 the purpose of encouraging recipients to feedback on one’s own research (ie both for own development and for their understanding)
7 how support can be offered to colleagues undertaking their own research and the forms which this support may take