"The (rangatahi) is the hero of the therapeutic drama and they play the most important role in their own change".
Research tells us that keeping our focus on rangatahi leads to better outcomes (Hubble, Duncan & Miller, 1999; Sparks, 2007; Sparks & Muro,2009):
Usually, rangatahi need our support because the adults in their networks have let them down (Bell, 2002). Often the adults who are supposed to care for them have put their own needs ahead of the rangatahi. If our mahi is to be effective, we need to make sure that the rangatahi and their needs are our priority. This might sound very obvious. But what we learned in our research, was that often kaimahi forgot to do this. Other pressures such as from within the office or demands made by the adults around the rangatahi got in the way. Sometimes kaimahi accepted the labels that others had used such as delinquent, dangerous or non-compliant (see Understanding and working with resistance). They did not always take the time to get to know the rangatahi and to hear their side of the story (Munford & Sanders, 2019).
Keeping rangatahi at the centre of our mahi means we have to really understand them, we need to see things from their point of view even when we do not agree with them. We also need to understand how the changes we are supporting them to achieve will impact on their lives. We need to learn about how their experiences impact on the way they respond to stresses and challenges, and the capacities and resources they use to problem solve (see Hearing rangatahi; Agency and voice; The helping alliance; Change steps).
It is important to keep them in the centre of the mahi because, in the end, they are the ones who have to make and sustain the changes. Our mahi has to fit their world. In order to achieve this, we need to fit our work around the theory of change of rangatahi by building a deep appreciation for the reality, meaning, and life they have lived.
Here are some ways to keep rangatahi at the centre of mahi:
(Adapted from: Beresford,Croft & Adshead, 2008; de Boer & Coady, 2007; Duncan, Miller & Sparks, 2007; Turney, 2018).
Use curiosity to learn about the things rangatahi do well, their interests and strengths. Seek out their stories about how they have dealt with challenges in the past. Ask how they achieve and maintain change. Take time to understand their perspective and how they see the world. Learn their ‘back story’. When we see rangatahi as the change makers, their resources and past successes become critical (see The importance of time; The helping alliance).
Support rangatahi to strengthen their networks so that they can be supported in their change. Identify people who can support them achieve their goals and who have been an enduring source of support for them.
With rangatahi at the centre of our focus we use strategies such as power sharing. This helps rangatahi gain a sense of control over the relationship and the change. Establishing trust is an important first step in building a helping alliance and keeping rangatahi at the centre of plans and support (see Power; Building trust).
Use critical reflection/coaching/supervision to keep asking ourselves, what does this rangatahi see as their critical issues and how is our mahi contributing to meaningful change for them. Listening to what rangatahi say, and then responding to that, helps sustain the focus (see Critical reflection).
The helping alliance keeps our focus on each rangatahi. Careful use of reciprocity and sharing of our experiences (where relevant) can strengthen our relationship. If we share our experiences we must be clear the reason is to support the rangatahi, not to benefit us. Sharing is intentional, planned in advance and talked about in reflection processes. We may plan a strategy in supervision/coaching and reflect back on it after. This helps keep our focus on the rangatahi and their needs (see The helping alliance; Critical reflection).
How do I use these ideas in my mahi?
I had a young person who had been invited to meetings at the mental health service, so we could talk to him about his wishes and goals and his experience of services and how they helped him with his challenges. However, once we got to the meeting, the staff who had invited the young person, mostly talked with each other and talked over him. The few times he did say something, it seemed from their responses they were judging him. One person even told him he was being unrealistic.
This experience helped me realise that if we were going to keep him at the centre after the meeting I needed to challenge them about giving him a voice and listening to him and I also needed to prepare the young person, so he didn’t become overwhelmed by all the professionals either talking at him, judging him or talking amongst themselves and ignoring him. I also needed to remind the staff that they needed to talk directly to the young person, explain jargon and provide clear information, check with him regularly, and honestly answer his questions.
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
- 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
- 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://doi.org/10.1037/11132-000
- Hubble, A., Duncan, B. & Miller, S. (Eds) (1999). The heart and soul of change: What works in therapy. American Psychological Association, USA. https://doi.org/10.1037/11132-000
- Munford, R. & Sanders, J. (2020). ‘Transformative practice: social work practice with vulnerable young people’. European Journal of Social Work, https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2020.1819205
- Munford, R. & Sanders, J. (2019). The youth transitions study: Final report. Technical Report 39. Massey University, Palmerston North. https://youthsay.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/Youth-Transitions-Study-Final-Report.pdf
- 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.
- 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. (2018). Sustaining relationships: Working with strong feelings. In G. Ruch, D. Turney & A. Ward (Eds). Relationship-based social work: Getting to the heart of practice (2nd Ed). (pp 129-145). 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). Rangatahi are the centre of our mahi. Relational Resources for Change, https://youthsay.co.nz/rbp-theories/Rangatahi-are-the-centre-of-our-mahi/
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).
