Issues in multi-disciplinary working

Learning Objectives

After considering this resource, you should understand more about multi-disciplinary working and your own role within it.

Woman looking sad

Multi-disciplinary working is commonplace in social work and allows various professions to provide a 'holistic service' (Thompson, 2008, p.196) to service users. To create an effective multi-disciplinary team though, there needs to be a clear understanding of other people's roles and boundaries.

In the following case study, Sarah discusses a complaint, accusing her of being too pushy, which was made against her following a multi-disciplinary meeting.

Download: Audio transcript

Reflective Questions

  1. Imagine if you are Sarah's manager, Jo. What changes would you help Sarah make so she is more effective at working in a multi-disciplinary setting?
  2. Consider the different professionals you may come into contact with on your placements. What differences may arise from working with different professions? How can you work with these differences positively?
  3. How might stereotyping different roles in a multi-disciplinary setting impact effective working?
  4. How might Sarah have used reflective practice to improve her performances at the multi-disciplinary meetings, potentially stopping the complaint against her being made in the first place?

Reference:
N Thompson and S Thompson (2008) The Social Work Companion. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Case studies