The reality is rangatahi always have some choice. What we want is for them to choose to work with us. This is the helping alliance. When rangatahi are partners in the change process we use authority carefully while also demonstrating care and respect.

Power is present in all relationships. Because of this, we need to think about how we use it and what impact that has on the relationships we are building. As kaimahi, we have more power than rangatahi. This is because we are adults. For example, this means we can intervene in situations to make rangatahi safe. We also have more power because of the support relationship itself. We can, for example, make decisions and make things happen in the lives of rangatahi. Rangatahi do not have the power to do either of these things to us. However, they can also be very powerful, they can ‘vote with their feet’ and just not engage with us. They can and do make huge choices about what they do and who they do it with. These are also examples of power.

Kaimahi and rangatahi will experience the helping relationship in different ways. Rangatahi may feel that the kaimahi has a lot more power over them. The kaimahi may feel that the rangatahi is ‘calling all the shots’. The ways each person responds is based on their experience and perspective.

In relationship-based practice (RBP) our goal is to make sure that we use the power we have to support rangatahi to make good changes (see The helping alliance). We want to make the relationship as equal as possible so rangatahi feel that we are in it with them. Here are some things we can do to help balance out the power difference:

We don’t ignore the power in the relationship, but we use it productively. Part of our mahi is to care for and about rangatahi and this can sometimes mean we need to exercise our power as an adult and a kaimahi and make things happen for the rangatahi. But we also need to create spaces so rangatahi feel in control, rather than controlled by us.

Using power well is a skill we develop. Sometimes it is called using power ‘softly’. This means having a balance between caring and decision-making. Here are some ways of taking a ‘soft’ power approach:

They (clients) saw it as important that the social worker took what the service user said as a starting point for what they did in their contact with them. (Beresford, Croft & Adshead et al., 2008,1397)

As kaimahi we need to think about how rangatahi may experience our presence in their lives, and the ways they may respond to the power we have. It can be hard to be a ‘good client’. Having kaimahi involved in your life can be challenging. It can bring conflicting emotions and memories of being made powerless. We need to notice how we use our power. For example, we need to take care over how we control resources and decision-making. It is also important that we recognise times when rangatahi feel they have no control or choice.

Power is important because workers almost always have the power to take away control and independence from rangatahi. For example, in child protection, youth justice and mental health settings, workers have statutory authority to make critical decisions. But all kaimahi have the power to take away control and independence from rangatahi. So, we need to think and act carefully because every action a worker takes may be seen as controlling rather than as enabling (Barker & Thomson, 2015; Turney, 2012). It is possible to use RBP in all these settings by using respectful and honest practice (Barker & Thomson, 2015, 141; Turney, 2012). No matter what the setting we can always show rangatahi that we value and take their views seriously. We can show that their understanding and expertise is important. This is about taking every opportunity to build a relationship that feels like a two-way process. Research tells us that these actions make RBP effective:

This is sometimes called a dialogic approach (Turney, 2012). Respectful dialogue promotes open talk and active and deep listening. We can use it to work together with rangatahi as partners. It is very helpful in involuntary or mandated settings as well as when rangatahi are able to choose to work with us (Turney, 2012).

A good way to start this is talking about how to share case records and the other information we collect on rangatahi. We can invite rangatahi to tell us how they would like us to manage this information. This can then provide a foundation for conversations about more challenging issues.

Another way is to use curiosity, uncertainty, and recognition. These ways of working help us use our power carefully and for rangatahi benefit. Being open-minded and asking open questions helps us avoid making quick (and possibly wrong) judgements and behaving in oppressive and discriminatory ways (see Curiosity and uncertainty; Recognition and shame).

The mahi is not simple. We don’t just throw our weight around and make unreasonable demands of the rangatahi we work with. To be effective, we need to be able to reflect on and monitor the ways we are using power. Critical reflection gives us confidence that our mahi is always about the best outcomes for each rangatahi. Soft use of our power is one way we can carefully use ourselves to support change. We are more effective when others can give us feedback on our practice. This helps keep us and the rangatahi we work with safe (see Critical reflection).

Reflection with peers, supervisors, and managers, is part of this process. We need to learn to be open to respectful questions from others over decisions, and actions. This helps us identify different options and approaches. Another important element is seeking feedback from rangatahi and using this feedback to improve practice (Duncan et al., 2007).

Humility helps balance out power. Having listened carefully to the rangatahi’s story, we can recognise that if we were in their shoes, we might well make the same choices. Rangatahi may be making the ‘least bad’ choice, because there was no ‘best’ choice available. From here we can then support rangatahi in more meaningful ways. We can also demonstrate that we know the young person has to make and sustain the changes. By using our power softly, we can learn more about each rangatahi and that makes our support more relevant (see PARTH in practice reflection sheet - Humility).

How do I use these ideas in my mahi?

This example shows the processes a team used to understand the impact of power on the relationships they formed with rangatahi

Our programme leader encouraged us to reflect on sensitive issues that came up in our mahi. As part of this, I am tasked with working alongside other kaimahi in another agency who sometimes use their power and authority in ways that undermine rangatahi. These kamahi don’t often include the rangatahi in decisions and they can be unclear when sharing information with rangatahi. In one of our supervision meetings, I encouraged the group to identify some strategies to share with other kaimahi to use their power more effectively in their relationships with rangatahi. We talked about the power we had to make a difference for rangatahi. We identified several strategies that we could use as a checklist to ensure that we provided respectful support for rangatahi:

  • In meeting for the first time with rangatahi we hold a non-judgemental stance; this means holding a position of uncertainty and remaining curious, so we can listen deeply to rangatahi stories and provide a safe space to do this. This process of engagement with rangatahi is important as it enables us to learn about their ‘back story’, their challenges, and also their coping strategies. This careful process prevents us from jumping to early conclusions that set us off on the wrong path because we have not heard what rangatahi are telling us.
  • Thinking clearly about how we use our power. As well as setting up a safe space for rangatahi to tell their story what else do we do to support them to engage with the support process? For example, ensuring we provide a welcoming environment so that they feel comfortable about coming to the agency.
  • Thinking about how we communicate with rangatahi and how we share information with rangatahi. Our information needs to be clear, and we need to answer questions honestly. Our record keeping should also be clear and respectful; we should not record things that we are not prepared to share with the rangatahi.
  • Being clear with rangatahi about plans and what will happen and supporting them to actively participate in decision making. This may take time and practice. Do we show humility in the relationship; do we provide a space for rangatahi to share their perspectives and how do we show that we respect these?

These points contribute to forming respectful partnerships with rangatahi and hold the potential for positive change. It was useful to reflect on this in our team meeting and be very specific about the things that we could do to ensure that we were using our power in positive ways. This reflective process helps us to critically evaluate if our support of rangatahi is making a difference and enables them to find solutions and achieve their goals.

 

Here are some places to look for more information

  • Barker, J. & Thomson,L. (2015). Helpful relationships with service users: Linking social capital. Australian Social Work, 68, 1, 130-145.  https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407X.2014.905795 
  • Beresford, P., Croft, S. & Adshead, L. (2008). ‘We don’t see her as a social worker’: A service user case study of the importance of the social worker’s relationship and humanity. British Journal of Social Work, 38, 1388-1407 https://www.jstor.org/stable/23724349
  • Dewhurst, K., Munford, R., & Sanders, J. (2014). Making a Claim for Services: The Pathways to Resilience Research Project: Technical Report 14. Massey University, New Zealand. https://youthsay.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/Making-a-claim-for-services.pdf
  • Dewhurst, K., Munford, R., & Sanders, J. (2014). Young People’s Behaviour Tells a Story: The Pathways to Resilience Research Project: Technical Report 17. Massey University, New Zealand. https://youthsay.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/Young-peoples-behaviour-tells-a-story.pdf
  • 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
  • Gilligan, R. (2004). Promoting resilience in child and family social work: Issues for social work practice. Journal of Social Work Education, 23, 1, 2004,93 - 104.  https://doi.org/10.1080/0261547032000175728
  • Munford, R., & Sanders, J. (2020). Shame and recognition: Social work practice with vulnerable young people. Child and Family Social Work, 25, 1, 53-61.  https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12652
  • Munford, R. & Sanders, J. (2019). Transformative social work practice in community-based organisations. 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.
  • 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
  • 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/10.1177/1473325014565149
  • Munford, R., & Sanders, J. (2016). Foster parents: An enduring presence for vulnerable youth. Adoption & Fostering, 40, 3, 264-278. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308575916656713
  • 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
  • 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. (2010). Working with families: Strengths-based approaches. Dunmore, New Zealand.
  • Sparks, J. & Muro, M. (2009). Client-directed wraparound: The client as connector in community collaboration. Journal of Systemic Theories, 28, 3, 63-76. https://doi.org/10.1521/jsyt.2009.28.3.63
  • Turney, D. (2012). A relationship-based approach to engaging involuntary clients: The contribution of recognition theory. Child and Family Social Work, 17, 149-159. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2012.00830.x

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). Power. Relational Resources for Change, https://youthsay.co.nz/rbp-theories/apower/

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).

 

This work by J. Sanders, R. Munford, J. Webster, J. Mercier, D. Abbott & L. Liebenberg is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 
This site was created as part of a research programme (MAUX2006) funded by MBIE. We thank them for their support.

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