Interprofessional And Interagency Working

Interprofessional And Interagency Working This assignment will critically analyse two examples of interprofessional and interagency practice using examples from my current practice placement. Relevant literature will be used to identify what factors support or constrain interprofessional and interagency collaboration (IPIAC). IPIAC is often described as a holistic approach to an individuals needs. When used effectively, a holistic approach allows for better service delivery to the service user. Hammick et al (2009, p.10) states that being interprofessional is learning and working or working and learning with others as appropriate, when necessary and sometimes both. Interagency working concentrates more on the organisational roles and responsibilities of those involved in collaboration (http://www.scie.org.uk). Interprofessional is relationships between individuals and interagency is relationships between organisations. IPIAC was a modernisation agenda introduced in public policy by the New Labour Government. Government recognition suggests that many social problems cannot be effectively addressed by any given organisation acting in isolation from others. That is, when professionals work together effectively they provide a better service to the complex needs of the most vulnerable people in society. New Labour also specified that there was a Berlin Wall type division between agencies and professionals and that there was a barrier to co-operation and this barrier should be confronted so that services worked in partnership with service users. However according to research conducted by Hiscock and Pearson (2002, p.11) several government reports have criticised the lack of coordination between health and social services in the community. So, in essence when professions work collaboratively the service user gets a better deal. Willing participation (Henneman et al, 1995, cited in Barrett et al, 2005, p.1 9) and a high level of motivation (Molyneux, 2001, cited in Barrett et al, p.19) have been stated as vital aspects of effective IPIAC. My current practice placement is within a voluntary organisation in a domestic abuse service. I am a project worker at a Refuge for women and children who are escaping domestic abuse. My role is to co-link work with permanent Refuge staff and co-ordinate each service users support needs whilst maintaining links with appropriate statutory and voluntary sectors. INTERPROFESSIONAL PRACTICE ONE The first example of IPIAC to be discussed and analysed within my practice placement will be a weekly meeting held between Refuge staff, health visitors and the play-worker from Womens Aid. The aim and purpose of these meetings is to share information so that identified needs of the families in the Refuge can be addressed and where possible be signposted to other services as required. The meetings are designed for professionals to share information and knowledge about the familys lives but not make decisions on their behalf (except where there are child protection issues). The meetings also aim to provide support to families according to assessment of need using professional judgement. Within these meetings everyone discusses and communicates the personal development and progress of the women and children in the Refuge so that all professions involved are kept up to date with the familys circumstances and situation. This supports IPIAC and is effective in that it is a chance for ever yone involved to gain further advice and guidance from other professionals in relation to their current level of involvement with the families. This in turn supports the families and assists them with their future goals and plans. However these meetings could be interpreted to some as secretive as they are held behind closed doors and it is a meeting in which the families are not involved in. This could be construed as an expert power relationship to some (Maclean and Harrison, 2011, p.31). For IPIAC and these meetings to be effective it is vital that all professionals involved support one another and are not be seen as self-interested or see themselves as higher than another profession. This is when problems occur as there is not a logical distribution of power. Unequal power distribution can be oppressive (Payne, 2000, cited in Barrett et al, 2005, p.23) and can limit participation for some professionals. Power in IPIAC should be shared and distributed and no hierarchy of power should exist. If some professionals see themselves as more powerful than another they are not meeting the needs of the service user. Sharing of information and knowledge about the families in the Refuge is the purpose of these weekly meetings so as to achieve the best possible outcome for the service user. A constraint of IPIAC is that some professionals are territorial and do not like to share information and knowledge. Molyneux (2001, cited in Barrett et al, 2005, p20) found that professionals who were confident in their own role were able to work flexibly across professional boundaries without feeling jealous or threatened. Professional adulthood was an expression used by Laidler (1991, cited in Barrett et al, 2005, p.20) to describe professionals who were confident in their own role to share information and communicate effectively with other professionals. These professionals do not feel territorial about relinquishing their knowledge and understanding to further enhance good IPIAC. Stapleton (1998, cited in Barrett et al, 2005, p.20) suggests that a combination of personal and professional confidence enables individuals to assert their own perspectives and challenge the viewpoints of others. Active listening is an important skill to maintain in order to achieve effective IPIAC. To be able to recognise and respond to what is being communicated is fundamental. Professionals working collaboratively should be able to demonstrate this verbally and non-verbally to each other. This is greatly helped if all concerned put aside the typical stereotyping of each others professions in order to hear and listen to what is being said. Effective open and honest communication is vital and probably one of the most important aspects of IPIAC. It requires professionals to take into account each others views, be respectful, dignified and to listen to each other without being highly critical of one another. Constructive feedback about the family needs to be undertaken alongside constructive suggestions and encouragement and should take place at a time when other professionals are receptive. However, being receptive to what is being said does not always occur during these meetings. At times, o ne professional does not like what another is conveying and this can create conflict within the professions. However the need here is to remember that it is the service user that is central to the process and that the goal is to achieve the best outcome for them and their family. There are elements within this example that both support and constrain IPIAC. To achieve the goal and not result in a poor outcome for the service user it is important for all professionals involved to communicate honestly and openly and for there to not be a significant power imbalance between the professions. INTERPROFESSIONAL PRACTICE TWO The second example of IPIAC to be discussed and analysed within my practice placement will be a Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC). A member of the Refuge staff attends these meetings on a fortnightly basis. A MARAC meeting is a community response to domestic abuse. Cases are referred to a MARAC by the Refuge as a result of completing a CAADA-DASH risk identification checklist (RIC) (see appendix one) with the victim of the domestic abuse. This checklist determines the victims level of risk/need. If the risk identification score is 14 or more on the RIC, the MARAC threshold for high-risk has been meet and a referral to a MARAC meeting is made. Cases can also be referred to the MARAC either as a result of a high risk domestic crime/incident recorded by the police or by a direct referral from a participating agency. Participating agencies attending the meetings can include representatives of statutory services such as the police, criminal justice, health, child protection, housing practitioners and Independent Domestic Violence Advocates (IDVAs). The purpose of the meetings is for professionals to implement a risk management plan that provides professional support to all those at risk and which reduces the risk of harm. The aim is then to produce a safety plan for each victim of domestic abuse. The MARACs aim is to share information to increase the safety, health and well-being of victims/survivors of domestic abuse. They can determine whether the alleged perpetrator poses a significant risk to any particular individual or to the general community. According to Bowen (2011, chapter 5.) MARAC functions through meetings designed to facilitate multi-agency information sharing, with a view to implementing an agreed-upon risk management and victim safety plan. Effective communication and information sharing supports IPIAC as it can assist to build relationships between agencies across a much broader range. A MARAC with effective communication and information sharing between agencies can also promote IPIAC in developing much stronger relationships between the voluntary and statutory sector. Barrett et el (2008, p.21) states that communication competence contributes to effective interprofessional working and enables those involved to articulate their own perspectives, listen to th e views of others and negotiate outcomes. An effective MARAC meeting which supports IPIAC is when professionals work collaboratively to ensure that victims/survivors and/or their children are safeguarded from further abuse. The governments action plan Call to End All Violence Against Women and Girls states that we all have to work together to achieve our goal of ending violence against women and girls. It is not a task for central government alone. It suggests that agencies need to work together to meet the needs of their local communities and that agencies are held accountable. However, a constraint of a MARAC meeting that I witnessed was that not all professionals brought the appropriate information to the meetings which lead to an inefficiency and delay of the case which frustrated others professionals attending. Poor timekeeping was another avenue that at times would frustrate other professionals attending the meetings. This seemed to alienate them as I would hear comments such as we are all professionals here and should act as such and as professionals attending important meetings like this, we should always strive to be on time. I also found at the MARAC that some agencies only had snippets of information that on their own did not raise any particular concern. It was only when the jigsaw of information was pieced together that the risk factors could begin to be understood. This example shows that when MARAC meetings support and strengthen interagency working and is effective, it is IPIAC at its best. This approach to working more collaboratively is beneficial as all organisations are coming together for the purpose of a common goal, with that goal being the best possible outcome for the service user. However some of the MARAC meetings that I had attended were not always that effective due to the fact that not all key agencies or organisations attended the meetings when required to do so or did not have the appropriate information to hand. It is beneficial that all agencies have as much information to hand as possible to facilitate IPIAC and have a profound positive impact on the outcome for the service user. In conclusion, IPIAC has many elements and all these different elements require that the different professions adopt them so that effective outcomes are achieved for the service user. Although IPIAC has been around for many years and is not new, it still needs to be continued, developed and incorporated into the daily work of all professions. When organisations and professions from different disciplines truly understand each others roles, responsibilities and challenges, the potential of IPIAC could be fully realised and many of the barriers alleviated. This in turn will contribute to a more successful outcome to the service user which of course is central to effective IPIAC. If IPIAC is ineffective it can limit choice for the service user and also increase risk. Word Count: 1966

Boundaries, Symmetry and Continuity in Radcliffes The Mysteries of Udo

Below is a passage from I.2 of Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho concerning the concept of "precepts" in relation to the characters of St. Aubert and his daughter Emily: I have attempted to teach you from your earliest youth, the duty of self- command [†¦] not only as it preserves us from the various and dangerous temptations that call us from rectitude and virtue, but as it limits the indulgences which are termed virtuous, yet which, extended beyond a certain boundary are vicious†¦All excess is vicious; even that sorrow, which is amiable in its origin, becomes a selfish and unjust passion, if indulged at the expense of our duties. [†¦] The indulgence of excessive grief enervates the mind, and almost incapacitates it for again partaking of those various innocent enjoyments which a benevolent God designed to be the sun-shine of our lives. My dear Emily, recollect and practice the precepts I have so often given you [†¦]. (20) The kinds of "precepts" instilled by St. Aubert are those that enjoin such "virtues" as moderation, simplicity, circumspection, and respect (5). Throughout the above passage and in her initial chapter, Radcliffe is establishing several binaries through which the novel as a whole can be mapped, and retirement in the country versus involvement in "the world" (1, 4), economy versus dissipation (2), simplicity versus exaggeration, serenity with congeniality versus tumult with incongruity (4), happiness and misery (4-5), affection versus ambition (11), health versus disease (physical and emotional [8, 18]), and life versus death, are only a few ways in which to articulate them. However, in the end, one binary can serve to organize the many: symmetry versus deformity. And it is in apprehending the logic of h... ...s dissatisfied with is the extent of Quesnel's "improvements," for the enlargemenmt of which Quesnel boasts is characterized by excess. (It is to be noted that, when improving his own house, St. Aubert adapted his enlargements "to the style of the old one" [2]). Thus, as an exploration of the importance of boundaries, and of the symmetry and continuity that those boundaries give, Radcliffe's novel enters into the discourse of its decade. Works Cited Burke, Edmund. "Proportion Further Considered". A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and the Beautiful. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909-1917 (New York: Bartleby.com, 2001). http://www.bartleby.com/24/2/305.html Lewis, C. S. The Discarded Image. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967. Radcliffe, Anne. The Mysteries of Udolpho. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Monologues

Joanna’s Monologue from Kramer vs. Kramer Look, during the last five years of our marriage, I was scared and I was very unhappy. And in my mind I had no other choice but to leave. At the time I left I felt that there was something terribly wrong with me. And that my son would be better off without me. I know I left my son. I know that that’s a terrible thing to do. Believe me I have to live with that every day of my life. But in order to leave him, I had to believe that it was the only thing I could do.And that it was the best thing for him. However, I have since gotten some help, and I have worked very, very hard to become a whole human being. And I don’t think I should be punished. Billy’s only seven years old. He needs me. I’m not saying he doesn’t need his father, but I really believe he needs me more. I was his mommy for five and a half years. And Ted took over that role for eighteen months. But I don’t know how anyone can possibl y believe that I have less of a stake in mothering that little boy than Mr.Kramer does. I’m his mother. I’m his mother. JANICE  by Susan Pomerance Janice is awakened to the fact that the boy next door is no longer just the boy next door. How in the world could you ever predict something like this? It's†¦ I mean, you're so close. We've been neighbors forever, since we were little kids. Playing together, messing around and stuff. I've always thought of Ralph Merriweather as this little playmate next door, you know?This goofy kid with unruly hair and a squeaky voice and acne. How was I to know I'd fall for Ralph Merriweather? Things change, you know? One day here's this skinny, uncoordinated guy with a big Adam's apple and then, all of a sudden, you turn around and he's super-neat. One day he's a dork, the next, a hunk. It happened last night when we went over to the Merriweather's for the holidays like we have since I can remember. Of course, there was mistletoe. And Ralph grabs me and kisses me, and – wow!All of a sudden like he's not just the little dork next door anymore. He's like this familiar stranger who turns me on. Amazing. After all these years. And now everything is turned upside down. Now I find him handsome and sexy and very interesting. Why, when we were little, we used to take baths together and I never ever once thought about looking below the water line. I was more interested in his plastic duck. http://iws. punahou. edu/department/theatre/curriculum/monologues/female/janice. html

Free Essays on Mental Illness In Adolescents

In this essay, I will explore areas of adolescent depression including contributing factors and treatments. I feel that this is an important area of study because suicide rates are higher among adolescents. If more emphasis is placed upon the study of the factors and treatments of adolescent depression, many lives could be saved. Emotional Resilience: Risk and Protective Factors for Depression Among Alternative Education Students in New Zealand. This Empirical Study focuses on the contributing factors and influences on incidences of depression among alternative education students and seeks to explain why some students with high risk factors do not develop depressive disorders while others do. Until this article, research focusing on contributing factors of mood disorders have not pinpointed factors which specifically cause these disorders. This article seeks to further examine those rare instances where the student perseveres against the odds and does not develop a mood disorder by building on previous research which have identified protective factors which promote these favorable outcomes. By identifying both the risk factors and protective factors, strategies can be created to improve mental health outcomes. Methods and Results: For this study, a sample of students was gathered from alternative education high schools in the northern region of North Island in New Zealand which combines rural and urban populations. The students in alternative education programs may have behavioral problems, repeat expulsions, pregnancy or childcare issues which prevent them from attending mainstream high schools. Each student in the study was issued a survey which was pre-tested on a sample of diverse students and amended prior to its use in this study. Student surveys were excluded if the students had answered too few questions or had been inconsistent in their answers. Findings: Alternative education students reported high levels of po... Free Essays on Mental Illness In Adolescents Free Essays on Mental Illness In Adolescents In this essay, I will explore areas of adolescent depression including contributing factors and treatments. I feel that this is an important area of study because suicide rates are higher among adolescents. If more emphasis is placed upon the study of the factors and treatments of adolescent depression, many lives could be saved. Emotional Resilience: Risk and Protective Factors for Depression Among Alternative Education Students in New Zealand. This Empirical Study focuses on the contributing factors and influences on incidences of depression among alternative education students and seeks to explain why some students with high risk factors do not develop depressive disorders while others do. Until this article, research focusing on contributing factors of mood disorders have not pinpointed factors which specifically cause these disorders. This article seeks to further examine those rare instances where the student perseveres against the odds and does not develop a mood disorder by building on previous research which have identified protective factors which promote these favorable outcomes. By identifying both the risk factors and protective factors, strategies can be created to improve mental health outcomes. Methods and Results: For this study, a sample of students was gathered from alternative education high schools in the northern region of North Island in New Zealand which combines rural and urban populations. The students in alternative education programs may have behavioral problems, repeat expulsions, pregnancy or childcare issues which prevent them from attending mainstream high schools. Each student in the study was issued a survey which was pre-tested on a sample of diverse students and amended prior to its use in this study. Student surveys were excluded if the students had answered too few questions or had been inconsistent in their answers. Findings: Alternative education students reported high levels of po...

The Environment and Free-Range, Organic, and Local Meat

The Environment and Free-Range, Organic, and Local Meat Meat and other animal products are a serious environmental issue, leading the Atlantic chapter of the Sierra Club to call animal products, a Hummer on a plate. However, free-range, organic, or local meats are not the solution. Free-Range, Cage-Free, Pasture-Raised Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Factory farmers are not animal-hating sadists who confine the animals for fun. Factory farming started because scientists in the 1960s were looking for a way to meet the meat demands of an exploding human population. The only way the U.S. can feed animal products to hundreds of millions of people is to grow grain as an intense monoculture, turn that grain into animal feed, and then give that feed to intensively confined animals. There isn’t enough available land on earth to raise all livestock free-range or cage-free. The United Nations reports that livestock now use 30 percent of the earth’s entire land surface, mostly permanent pasture but also including 33 percent of the global arable land used to produce feed for livestock. Free-range, pasture-fed animals would require even more land on which to feed. They require even more food and water than factory farmed animals, because they are exercising more. To meet the increasing demand for grass-fed beef, South American rainforests are being cleared to produce more pasture for organic, grass-fed beef to be exported. Only 3 percent of the beef produced in the U.S. is grass-fed, and already, thousands of wild horses are displaced by this relatively small number of cattle. The U.S. alone has 94.5 million beef cattle. One farmer estimates that it takes 2.5 to 35 acres of pasture, depending on the quality of the pasture, to raise a grass-fed cow. Using the more conservative figure of 2.5 acres of pasture, this means we need approximately 250 million acres to create grazing pastures for every cow in the U.S. Thats over 390,000 square miles, which is more than 10 percent of all the land in the U.S. Organic Meat Raising animals organically does not reduce the amount of food or water required to produce meat, and the animals will produce just as much waste. Under the National Organic Program administered by the USDA, organic certification for animal products has certain minimum care requirements under 7 C.F.R. 205, such as access to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas, fresh air, and direct sunlight (7 C.F.R. 205.239). Manure must also be managed in a manner that does not contribute to contamination of crops, soil, or water by plant nutrients, heavy metals, or pathogenic organisms and optimizes recycling of nutrients (7. C.F.R. 205.203) Organic livestock must also be fed organically produced feed and cannot be given growth hormones (7 C.F.R. 205.237). While organic meat does offer some environmental and health benefits over factory farming in terms of residue, waste management, pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, the livestock do not consume less resources or produce less manure. Animals raised organically are still slaughtered, and organic meat is just as wasteful, if not more wasteful, than factory farmed meat. Local Meat We hear that one way to be eco-friendly is to eat locally, to reduce the amount of resources required to deliver food to our table. Locavores strive to build their diet around food produced within a certain distance from their home. While eating locally might reduce your impact on the environment, the reduction is not as great as some might believe and other factors are more important. According to CNN, an Oxfam report titled, Fair Miles - Recharting the Food Miles Map, found that the way in which food is produced is more important than how far that food is transported. The amount of energy, fertilizer, and other resources used on the farm may have more environmental significance than the transportation of the final product. Food miles are not always a good yardstick. Buying from a small, local conventional farm may have a greater carbon footprint than buying from a large, organic farm thousands of miles away. Organic or not, the larger farm also has the economy of scale on its side. And as a 2008 article in The Guardian points out, buying fresh produce from halfway around the world has a lower carbon footprint than buying local apples out of season that have been in cold storage for ten months. In The Locavore Myth, James E. McWilliams writes: One analysis, by Rich Pirog of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, showed that transportation accounts for only 11% of foods carbon footprint. A fourth of the energy required to produce food is expended in the consumers kitchen. Still more energy is consumed per meal in a restaurant, since restaurants throw away most of their leftovers... The average American eats 273 pounds of meat a year. Give up red meat once a week and youll save as much energy as if the only food miles in your diet were the distance to the nearest truck farmer. If you want to make a statement, ride your bike to the farmers market. If you want to reduce greenhouse gases, become a vegetarian. While buying locally produced meat will reduce the amount of fuel needed to transport your food, it does not change the fact that animal agriculture requires an inordinate amount of resources and produces a great deal of waste and pollution. Tara Garnett of the Food Climate Research Network stated: There is only one way of being sure that you cut down on your carbon emissions when buying food: stop eating meat, milk, butter and cheese... These come from ruminants- sheep and cattle- that produce a great deal of harmful methane. In other words, it is not the source of the food that matters but the kind of food you eat. All things being equal, eating locally is better than eating food that has to be transported thousands of miles, but the environmental advantages of locavorism pale in comparison with those of going vegan. Lastly, one can choose to be an organic, vegan locavore to reap the environmental benefits of all three concepts. They are not mutually exclusive.

Managing capability of Ford Motor Company Coursework - 1

Managing capability of Ford Motor Company - Coursework Example The paper tells that capabilities of an organization can be segregated into two deliverables including threshold capabilities and capabilities for gaining competitive advantage. These capabilities are driven by tangible and intangible resources that constitute of threshold and unique resources. Moreover, competencies are also a critical aspect of capabilities which entail core and threshold competencies. A complete amalgamation of these aspects and a well-organized organizational outlook can facilitate companies to manage capability for gaining the sustainable competitive advantage. Ford Motor Company has emerged as one of the major sustainable companies in the automobile industry which make utmost use of its resources and capabilities to derive competitive advantages. The company has focused on providing exceptional values to its customers all over the world. It has a unique combination of power and technology that makes its every vehicle a special one. A few of the very well known brands of Ford are Fiesta, Focus, and Fusion. Mobility Muse started Ford Motor Company in the year of 1903 with the investment of US$28,000. It used to manufacture classic elegant vehicles but now with the advancement of technology and in keeping with evolving trends, it is presently manufacturing high-tech business class vehicles. It also helps newer drivers all over the world to become safer drivers. In terms of its distinct capabilities, from the handling of vehicles to the elegant exterior finish and superior luxury interior, in every single aspect, Ford has been mostly able to meet the expectations of the national as well as global markets. It also manufactures trucks and utility vehicles. It always focuses to create a strong business periphery to serve the world better. In this endeavor, it has been taking initiatives for the betterment of the society by way of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Korean Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Korean Art - Essay Example The painting largely uses the primary color red. Blue is also used but not as much as red. The most prominent secondary color is green. White and brown define the colors of the subjects’ skin and the collars of their clothes. In general, the colors form an attractive combination that perhaps reflects the cultural background of the painter or the subjects. With the many images of different sizes and shapes, there are different lines used in the painting. Thick brush strokes were used to show the prominent parts of the image. For instance, the backrest of the chairs of Indra and Brahma are painted with thick brush strokes detailing the images forming curved lines. There are also lines not so heavily thickened like the brushstrokes on the clothes of the images which give the design and folds. Thin lines are used to define more detailed parts of the images such as the edges of images. For instance, the designs of the headdresses are given more details through the use of thin lines . With the various images portrayed in the painting, it has been necessary to use not only different thickness of lines but also different shaped lines such as curve, diagonal, horizontal, vertical and straight. The swords held by the guardians are some examples that show the aforementioned differences in direction and form of lines. Moreover, there are also different shapes and forms used in the painting. The shapes like the blue decorations used in the background have indefinite shapes but they are closed figures that are used for some purpose by the painter. Other forms are shown in the headdresses and the heads of some of the subjects. The painting is two-dimensional, laid on a flat canvass that it has features similar to a photograph. The subjects facing the... With the many images of different sizes and shapes, there are different lines used in the painting. Thick brush strokes were used to show the prominent parts of the image. For instance, the backrest of the chairs of Indra and Brahma are painted with thick brush strokes detailing the images forming curved lines. There are also lines not so heavily thickened like the brushstrokes on the clothes of the images which give the design and folds. Thin lines are used to define more detailed parts of the images such as the edges of images. For instance, the designs of the headdresses are given more details through the use of thin lines. With the various images portrayed in the painting, it has been necessary to use not only different thickness of lines but also different shaped lines such as curve, diagonal, horizontal, vertical and straight. The swords held by the guardians are some examples that show the aforementioned differences in direction and form of lines.Moreover, there are also diffe rent shapes and forms used in the painting. The shapes like the blue decorations used in the background have indefinite shapes but they are closed figures that are used for some purpose by the painter. Other forms are shown in the headdresses and the heads of some of the subjects. The painting is two-dimensional, laid on a flat canvass that it has features similar to a photograph. The subjects facing the viewer straight forward have a seemingly photographic effect that shows two dimensions. However, there are also three dimensional figures.