What do you see as the main benefits of working co-operatively?

– There are many benefits to working co-operatively. One of these being that it allows you to get an insight into professions or areas of the job which you may never of had the chance to look into before. For instance, as a teacher you will more than likely have to work with children who do not have English as their first language. As a result of this you will have to work co-operatively with an EAL (English as an Additional Language) teacher who will come into the classroom to support and train the teachers in order to provide them with strategies to support the children who do not have English as a first language. Another benefit to working co- operatively is that you will be able to give support easier to the different areas. As you will be working together it would be hoped that this would result in a positive working relationship. This would benefit anyone who was struggling with a particular area out with their expertise in order to be able to come forward and seek advice within the group. Working together co-operatively will also help to take a holistic approach to the child’s needs. For instance, by having teachers, social workers and CLD workers all coming together, this will ensure that all aspects of the child’s life is taken into consideration. An example of when this may happen is if the child was seen to be struggling at school and a board of people were brought together to discuss the reason why. By bringing all these professions together it will help there to be a more rounded view of the problem as each the professions have a different relationship with the child and see them in different settings.

What are the challenges to working co-operatively?

– Some challenges facing working co-operatively is that not everyone will share the same opinions so people may not be willing to take on other points of view. Due to a lack of willingness to take on others inputs this will hinder the groups working ability resulting in a delay in the task being completed. Another challenge to working co-operatively would be that not everyone has an understanding of different professions so wouldn’t know how to approach them. This can lead to people putting up barriers around themselves and so stops them from gong out and seeking advice from other areas of expertise who could help them get a more rounded and knowledgeable view on a matter.