On the 20^th of February the Building Relationships advisory group came together to talk about what is necessary for good relationships. While it was recognised that individuals are part of a bigger culture and no one is independent of the organisation around them, there are things that individual workers can do to build meaningful relationships.

We discussed the values that the person should have, the skills the person needs and the behaviours they should exhibit.  

An easy way to remember this is thinking about what a person can:

Feel (Values), Know (Skills), and Do (Behaviours)

Here is what people said:

The most important things

The group also had the chance to tell Staf what they think is the most important when it comes to the content, delivery and target of the resource. Another way to think about this is: What is the goal of the resource? What do we want it to be?

Here are some of the most common answers to that question:

1. The resource needs to be easy to read and straight to the point.
2. The resource should be creative and not just written text
3. The resource should be for everyone: young people, frontline workers, managers and strategic directors.
4. The resource should be detailed and full of ideas of what can be done now.
5. The resource should clearly explain why it is important.
6. The resource should link with other important resources, for example: Relationships Matter, The Relationships Charter and the Independent Care Review. (These are just examples that were mentioned, there are many more out there)

We will keep this in mind in future meetings and when designing the resource.

What’s next?

The next meeting is on the 19^th of March and will take place in Aberdeen. The Throughcare and Aftercare team in Aberdeen are hosting which is very kind of them!

We will discuss:

What can the organisation do to create environments where relationships grow?

If you can’t make it to Aberdeen, why not come to one of the other meetings?

April 23^rd – Dundee

May 21^st – Glasgow

As always, you can get in touch if you want to get involved! You can reach me on email ([email protected]), phone (01414657520) or on Twitter (@Papoulapr).

‘Building Relationships' is a Staf project focused on improving relationship-based practice across Scotland, funded by The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The project's initial phase, 'Mapping Relationship' was completed in 2019 and involved extensive consultation in person, in workshops, online and at our focus groups. You can find out more about the background to the project here.