Unit name: Responsibilities of a care worker
Learning outcome: 3. Be able to work in partnership with others
Assessment criteria: 3.3 Identify skills and approaches needed for resolving conflicts
Their will always be disagreements when several individuals discuss the best ways to achieve positive outcomes for an individual, however these should be managed through discussion rather than argument.
When there is a disagreement, you should listen intently to the other party’s point of view before responding with your own. You should remain calm and let your emotions take control of the situation.
Negotiation and compromise are often essential skills for working towards a mutually acceptable solution. It may be useful to use mediation or allocate someone to have the overriding decision when an agreement cannot be made. Support and advice from others who are more experienced in resolving conflicts may also be necessary.
It is also important to ensure that you deal with conflicts rather than ignoring them and hoping that they will resolve themselves. This can lead to a solution never being reached and potentially festering animosity in professional relationships.