Relationship-based practice (RBP) is not a recipe, rather it is a way to build change focused partnerships with rangatahi. Some people call it a ‘way of being’ rather than the things they do (de Boer & Coady, 2007; Ward, 2018). It is about fitting ourselves around the lives of rangatahi, rather than expecting them to fit themselves to our pre-set ways of operating.
Being flexible and able to adapt to rangatahi, and what is happening in their lives on a particular day, is important to RBP. We need to be open to doing things differently and adapting our plans. This is because the lives of rangatahi are dynamic, and they often face a lot of disruption.
The relationship is the way we go about supporting rangatahi to change. Because their lives are often in such flux, we need to be able to adapt to both rangatahi and their whānau. Research tells us that when we adapt to meet rangatahi on their terms, our work is more effective than when we stick to ‘treatment protocols’ that are not working (Conoley, Ivey, Conoley, Scheel & Bishop, 1992; Hubble, Duncan, & Miller, 1999, 429 citing: Elliott, Witt, Galvin & Peterson, 1984; Reimers, Wacker, Cooper, & De Raad, 1992). Sometimes this is called opportunity-led work (McMahon, 2018, 152). This is about responding to what rangatahi bring into the intervention and what is important to them.
When we adapt, we show rangatahi that we can see the reality of their lives and that we respect this (Duncan, Miller & Sparks, 2007; Garfat & Fulcher, 2008). When we use RBP, we also work with the ways rangatahi want to go about making change. We adapt our models and techniques, or even abandon our original plans, and create new ones. We work out the best way of providing support to rangatahi given what they are facing (Duncan, Miller & Sparks, 2007). We can think about adaptability in this way:
Adaptability can mean that our usual safety nets and boundaries are less clear. This means we need to have good recording systems in our organisations so that we can capture these changes while we make sure that we are staying on track. Adaptability does not mean we just do anything we feel like on the day, adapting must have a clear purpose.
The important thing to remember is that while we are adaptable and flexible, support is also intentional and responds appropriately to rangatahi needs. It provides the support they need so they can achieve their goals for change. This may mean including others in the support process and encouraging them to be adaptable; for example, supporting teachers to be flexible in their learning processes and expectations in school environments so that rangatahi can receive meaningful learning support.
Our systems and processes need to support adaptable and flexible work to make sure we adapt and respond in safe ways. Supervision, coaching and reflective practice also support safe adpatability and flexibility.
To support adaptable RBP work, organisations need to have systems that support this type of mahi (Bell, 2002). This includes supervision and reflective practice processes to give kaimahi confidence that they can practice safely. Recording systems and processes need to capture decision-making around adaptable responses. Time is important here. Supervisors and others need to be available to support kaimahi in their practice and provide regular and focused opportunities for critical reflection. There need to be people in the organisation who can be a ‘sounding board’ for kaimahi so they can reflect on their decisions and solutions in a safe and reflective environment. This provides assurance for kaimahi that the decisions they are taking are supported by the organisation. If systems are not organised around relationship-based practice principles there is a risk that kaimahi will revert to risk-averse, bureaucratic practice which gets in the way of change (see Critical reflection; The importance of time, RBP in organisations).
Care in use of self and constant critical reflection on our mahi and how rangatahi may be understanding this, is essential to ensure that practice remains safe, effective and rangatahi-centred (see Critical reflection; Rangatahi are the centre).
The other risk is that kaimahi hide their adaptability. This makes them and rangatahi vulnerable should something go wrong when they are responding. For example, they may have an accident while driving a rangatahi to an appointment and if this type of response is not covered by organistional policies and insurance, kaimahi, rangatahi and organisations are placed at risk. It also means organisations miss out on opportunities to grow and develop (de Boer & Coady, 2007).
How do I use these ideas in my mahi?
I am a youth worker in a large organisation. My role is to support young people to complete their youth justice goals including completing their community service. We noted that many were not completing their community service hours so I called a meeting with the team to think about how we could be more adaptable and flexible in how we supported them to do this. We decided to partner with a local hauora service that provided health and community services to whānau, with a focus on tamariki and rangatahi wellbeing. We thought this would be a good place for rangatahi to do voluntary mahi so they could complete their community service and at the same time be involved in a service that reflected and respected their own cultural beliefs. While completing their community service they could access other support and resources that enhanced their wellbeing and created new opportunities for them.
We met with youth individually and asked them about their community service: what was preventing them from completing their hours? What would help? And importantly, what would make the experience meaningful for them? We then used this information to align their community service placement with the contextual realities of their lives, and provide them with a learning and growth experience that was relevant to them, given their individual experiences.
Here are some places to look for more information
- Bell, M. (2002). Promoting children’s rights through the use of relationship. Child and Family Social Work, 7, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2206.2002.00225.x
- Conoley, C., Ivey, D., Conoley, J., Scheel, M., & Bishop, R. (1992). Enhancing consultation by matching the consultee's perspectives. Journal of Counseling Development, 69, 546–549. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1991.tb02639.x
- de Boer, C. & Coady, N. (2007). Good helping relationships in child welfare: Learning from stories of success. Child and Family Social Work, 12, 32-42. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2006.00438.x
- Duncan, B., Miller, S. & Sparks, J. (2007). Common factors and the uncommon heroism of youth. Psychotherapy in Australia, 13, 34-43. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.545300571675378
- Elliott, S. N., Witt, J. C., Galvin, G. A., & Peterson, R. (1984). Acceptability of positive and reductive behavioral interventions: Factors that influence teachers' decisions. Journal of School Psychology, 22, 4, 353–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-4405(84)90022-0
- Garfat, T. & Fulcher. L. (2008). Characteristics of a relational child and youth care approach. CYC-OnLine. https://cyc-net.org/pdf/Characteristics%20of%20a%20Relational%20CYC%20Approach%20Revisited.pdf
- Hubble, M. A., Duncan, B. L., & Miller, S. D. (Eds.). (1999). The heart and soul of change: What works in therapy. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/11132-000
- Munford, R., & Sanders, J. (2014). Negotiating and constructing identity: Social work with young people who experience adversity. The British Journal of Social Work, 1-17. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43687930
- McMahon, L. (2018). Long-term complex relationships. In G. Ruch, D. Turney & A. Ward (Eds). Relationship-based social work: Getting to the heart of practice (2nd Ed). (pp. 147-164). Jessica Kingsley, London.
- Munford, R., & Sanders, J. (2015). Young people's search for agency: Making sense of their experiences and taking control. Qualitative Social Work, 14, 616-633. https://doi.org/10.1177/147332501456514
- Munford, R., & Sanders, J. (2016). Understanding service engagement: Young people's experience of service use. Journal of Social Work, 16, 283-302. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017315569676
- Munford, R., & Sanders, J. (2017). Harnessing resistance in interventions with young people. Journal of Social Work Practice, 31, 79-93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2016.1164127
- Reimers, T. Wacker, D., Cooper, L., & de Raad, A. (1992). Acceptability of behavioral treatments for children: Analog and naturalistic evaluations by parents. School Psychology Review, 21, 4, 628–643.
- Sanders, J., & Munford, R. (2010). Working with families: Strengths-based approaches. Dunmore, New Zealand.
- Sanders, J., & Munford, R. (2015). Fostering a sense of belonging at school-five orientations to practice that assist vulnerable youth to create a positive student identity. School Psychology International, 37, 2, 155-171. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034315614688
- Sanders, J., Munford, R., Ballantyne, R., Henaghan, M., Allison, R., & Jackson, R. (2017). Conditional openness: young people define practices for successful child protection interventions. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/09649069.2017.1351738
- Sanders, J. & Munford, R. (2017). Culture and context: The differential impact of culture, risks and resources on resilience among vulnerable adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review, 79, 517-526. https://doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.07.007
- Sanders, J. & Munford, R. (2019). ‘PARTH practices and better outcomes: Creating ‘lucky’ encounters between social workers and vulnerable youth’. In R. Munford & K. O’Donoghue (Eds) New theories for social work practice: Ethical practice for working with individuals, families and communities. Jessica Kingsley, London.
- Ward, A. (2018). The use of self in relationship-based practice. In G. Ruch, D. Turney & A. Ward (Eds). Relationship-based social work: Getting to the heart of practice (2nd Ed). (pp 55-74). Jessica Kingsley, London.
We thank the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for funding the research that created this resource (MAUX2006).
This resource was developed by Professor Jackie Sanders. It was refined with input from Donna MacNicol, Te Aroha Noa Community Services, Justina Webster, Dr Linda Liebenberg, Professor Robyn Munford, Dr Jayne Mercier, Davinia Abbott and the team at Dingwall Trust Launch Programme
Citation: Sanders, J. with MacNicol, D., Webster, J., Munford, R. Liebenberg, L., Mercier, J., Abbott, D. and the Dingwall Trust Launch Team (2023). Adaptability and being flexible. Relational Resources for Change, https://youthsay.co.nz/rbp-theories/adaptability-and-being-flexible/
CC BY-NC-ND Licensed using Creative Commons Licensing. Relational Resources for Change Project. You are welcome to use this resource individually, in your teams and in supervision/coaching/critical reflection, you should acknowledge the source using the above citation. You may not change this document, use it to develop your own external training, or for commercial purposes (e.g by charging a fee).
