The power of a critical friend: Collective Change Facilitation - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Sara Branch

Senior Research Fellow - Collective Change Facilitator Griffith Criminology Institute

The power of a critical friend: Collective Change Facilitation

Charmaine Stubbs

Collective Change Facilitator The Salvation Army

Researchers Community Services Government Community Funders Shared Purpose and Safe Space for Respectful Relationships and Co- creation of Really Useful Science-based Tools, Methods and Resources

https://www.creatingpathways.org.au

The Creating Pathways initiative was funded (partially) by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council in partnership with researchers and partners at the following institutions, Government Departments, and Non-Government Organisations:

Collective Impact Prevention Science Complex, Adaptive Child Problems

Sara Branch

Senior Research Fellow - Collective Change Facilitator Griffith Criminology Institute

The power of a critical friend: Collective Change Facilitation

Charmaine Stubbs

Collective Change Facilitator The Salvation Army

• Explain the role of a Collective Change Facilitator
• Why the need for a Collective Change

Facilitator

• Learnings
• What next

Outline

Collective Change Facilitators The Bridge between systems

Adapted from Wandersman et al., 2008

• Helping Hand
• Helps build relationships and trust
• Critical friend – central role
• Help create a safe space
• Help guide collaborative reflection of successes and failures
• Help capacity building
• Technical Adviser
• Facilitates the delivery of technical knowledge

CCFs need to have a deep understanding of and empathy for the work of community coalitions, while maintaining a level of professional distance that enables them to support, guide and sometimes challenge practice

Roles of a Collective Change Facilitator

Collective Impact Facilitator

• r

Collective Change Facilitator

Collective

• Support people to come together in partnership

Change

• Change Agent or disruptor of business as usual

Facilitator – Definition: make (an action or process) easy or easier

Complexity

Why the need for a Critical Friend

The What is Unclear

The Who is Varied

The How is Unclear

Complexity

Why the need for a Critical Friend

The What is Unclear

The Who is Varied

The How is Unclear

Complexity

Why the need for a Critical Friend

The What is Unclear

The Who is Varied

The How is Unclear

Emergent practice is dependent

• n…

Different perspectives

• Collaboration 
• Strength of relationships

Shared Accountability Training Evidence-driven Cycles of Learning

Adaption and Learning is valued

• Agile approaches to working

are required

• Rapid cycles of

development, testing with users, and

• Adaptation

(Thornton, 2019)

CREATE Change Engine Cycle

I guess - it's like trying to push a heavy object up a hill, or

• whatever. It's slow and laborious work. It's constantly

reiterating, constantly reinforcing that there's a different way of working that we can get to, but it takes a bit of shifting over time. Despite our organisations being involved in CREATE it doesn’t mean that they're totally

• n board with shifting, themselves…

…I think you're constantly up against the regular way of working, so whether it's just me, or whether it's me and the facilitating partner team, we're constantly feeling the pressure that people just want to - ideally want to keep working the way they already are, because it is easier and so finding different ways of advocating to work differently and finding different ways of communicating that or making it applicable to them is a lot of hard work… That takes time and patience and building up

• ver time, as well. (CIF 6)

Influencing change is hard and takes time

Access to the community coalition

• lack of access to members of the community

coalition can limit the CCF role

• Access is enabled through
• individual flexibility
• organisational flexibility

Enabling Access

Internal and Organisational Flexibility

CCF role is very dynamic and requires flexibility

• Flexibility within the CCF’s mind-set and their

actions, and

• Flexibility within the people, environment and

structures that surround them Flexibility enables CCFs to

• Respond to a constantly changing environment
• Work in the ‘here and now’

Enabling Access

Time to…

Build relationships, trust, understanding and a safe space

• time to support relationship building between

the CCF and key stakeholders

• time for the CCF to develop an understanding
• f the context and history in which they are

working

• time to strengthen relationships within the

community coalition  safe space to enable exploration of successes, failures and innovative solutions

Enabling Time, and Space

Time …

To be reflective practitioners

• time to reflect and discuss with colleagues or a

coach what has been happening for them

For Community Coalition Reflection

• time for the community coalition to reflect on

what they are learning – emergent practice

• time to strengthen the community coalition’s

functioning

To continue to develop and share knowledge, skills and resources

Enabling Time, and Space

• Shift in organisational structures to enable CCFs

the space to engage deeply with others, as well as develop and learn

• Shift in those managing or working with the CCF

to let go and enable CCFs to explore, build relationships and develop a safe space

• Provide CCFs with the flexibility to respond when

needed with a focus on the here and now

Enabling Access, Time, and Space

What’s your learning?

Reflected on COVID-19

Plan adjustments you can make Learnt about enabling emergent practice What can you change to make TIME for relationships?

• Development of a Collective Change Facilitation

curriculum

• Certificate in Community Prevention and Implementation Science
• In-house Intensive Training
• Collective Change Facilitation Community of Practice
• Ongoing work in community to continue to understand

and develop the role further

What next?

Q&A