Potens Challenge Charter is a promise that all staff make to uphold the values of Potens; to be courageous for and with the people they support and to challenge themselves and each other positively to be the best they can be. Our team in Lancashire have put the challenge charter at the top of their agenda this month with a brilliant example here of putting their promise into action.
Rita, Deputy Manager and Morgan, Support Worker both work at Potens’ Lancashire based Mansard House, they explain:
“We want to demonstrate that the challenge charter is a positive thing so we are going to use Potens Values to challenge ourselves. For the next 3 months we are focusing on TRUST – encouraging people to trust in their own abilities and knowledge. So the plan is that when a staff member or a person we support comes to us with a problem we ask… “how do you think we can fix this” – with the aim to get people thinking and become more solution focused.”
Putting the challenge charter into action
“This week a person we support came to staff to inform them that he did not wish to go to his night class at college due to the fact that he was anxious about going there by himself this week, as usually staff attend the class with him.
– We rationalised with him by asking him how he feels when he goes into the class by himself – he told staff that this was not an issue as he feels comfortable when in the classroom.
– We asked him to think about what the worst possible outcome could be, to which he replied that his anxiety would become too high and he would not be able to attend his college class.
– Staff then asked JR to think about what the most positive outcome would be, to which he replied that he would be able to attend his class without experiencing too much anxiety.
The next step was to then ask him what compromise could be made in order for him to maintain his independence but still enjoy his class without too much anxiety. He believed the best solution was for staff to get the bus there with him but to remain outside of the class and then to catch the bus home with him.”
Positive Outcome
“This worked well and the individual was able to attend his class without anxiety. He told us he was very grateful to staff for helping him to have trust in himself by allowing him to come up with his own solution.”
