The Power of Hui to Establish, Consolidate and Deepen the Learning Support Partnership (LSP)

Introduction

If you had said to me at work, five-to-ten years ago, “Do you want to partner-up?” I would have taken a step back from you, blushed all over, looked very awkward and left wondering whether you wanted my company, outside of work time! I probably would have worried so much and gone home to my good wife and said something like: 

I need to tell you something, dear. I think I got propositioned at work today. Just letting you know. This is what happened... Don’t worry love, I shut it down pretty bloody quickly!

The thing that I am trying to emphasise here, is the concept of ‘partnership’ or ‘being a partner’ was not in my work vocabulary five-to-ten years ago. Also, my concept of partnership was associated completely with the personal, romantic kind, not the professional kind. 

It is now a term that I use often in my everyday mahi and it is a term I hear other RTLBs use as well. RTLB across the motu are now integrating this concept into their everyday mahi. In fact, RTLB Aotearoa Professional Learning Network (PLN), have recently devoted a webinar to the concept of partnership, for RTLB Practice Leaders (PL’s). The concept of partnership is gaining traction in RTLB land. On a daily basis, RTLB partner with many people: whānau, ākonga, school leaders, kaiako, school support staff and community specialists such as Psychologists, Counsellors, Occupational Therapists and Social Workers (as examples). 

Blog Focus

This blog focuses solely on RTLB partnering with a range of people within their RTLB caseload-the focus is therefore on establishing, consolidating and deepening Learning Support Partnerships (LSPs), in general terms. First, I will outline the concept of partnership and how this relates to RTLB mahi. I will then outline He Pikorua and Te Tūāpapa as a pathway to partnership and integrate the importance of promoting Manaakitanga within the partnering space. I will argue that an effective hui, facilitated by RTLB, can promote the enablers to partnership (and subsequently prevent barriers). I will also outline some key pātai that every partner needs to consider, individually and collectively. Finally, I will outline some key considerations around partnering, specifically with those sticky and stressful moments that may occur.

The Concept of Partnership

I have been researching the concept of partnership and I was surprised to find that the term was promoted some years ago by Timperley and Robinson (2002), in their seminal article, Partnerships: Accomplishing important work together. I recommend this reading to anyone. It will deepen your understanding around the concept of partnership. 

Timperley and Robinson (2002) outline their concept of partnership:  

In the generic sense, we propose that individuals or groups are in

partnership when they each accept some responsibility for solving a problem or

achieving a task, and establish processes for accomplishing the task that promote

learning and shared power over decisions related to the partnership.

(Timperley and Robinson, 2002, p41)

I like this definition because it encompasses what we do within the Aotearoa Learning Support umbrella, as RTLB. We are in the game of ‘solving a problem’ or ‘achieving a task’. ‘Solving a problem’ or ‘achieving a task’ is contextual and depends on the specific needs of our RTLB Request for Support (aka RfS/R4S/referrals). 

At ground level ‘solving a problem’ may look like partnering with kaiako and ākonga to help them solve specific problems using Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS)-undertaking the Assessment Skills and Unsolved Problems (ASUP) and Plan B process. Or, it may be ‘solving a problem’ when we ‘partner’ with whānau, kaiako and other professionals to increase school hours of an ākonga who is on a Ministry of Education-directed Graduated Transition Plan (GTP). ‘Solving a problem’ in this example, would be ākonga having increased hours at school. The end goal would be for ākonga to be on a full school timetable.

In terms of ‘achieving a task’-a completed formal application comes to mind, such as completing an Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) application where the people in the partnership believe that an application is important to promote access for an ākonga working in Level 1 of the Curriculum, or below. The ‘heavy-lifting’ of an ORS application is often left to the responsibility of the school. However,  RTLB can help fine-tune it, in terms of content, editing and providing supplementary documentation. 

‘Achieving a task’ may be RTLB and an Occupational Therapist partnering together to fine-tune ideas around sensory difficulties and strategies for a particular ākonga they are supporting, which may include Professional Learning and Development (PLD) opportunities for wider staff. Providing support at a school level (i.e. ‘Zooming-out’ support) is important so all staff are upskilled around sensory difficulties and challenges and new learnings can be applied with other ākonga in their care.

Another key aspect of Timperley and Robinson’s (2002) concept of partnership is that power-sharing is a central component. This is such an important consideration within everyday RTLB mahi/caseload. Power-with-not power-over. It is a key enabler to partnership. For this to happen effectively, there needs to be a clear vision and set goals. Someone in the partnership needs to drive this mahi. I suggest the professional who facilitates hui, where all partners come together to form the partnership, collaborate and reflect together and decide on next steps. In my experience, this tends to be the RTLB. In addition, specific roles and responsibilities need to be clearly highlighted by all people in the partnership. Without doing this, the partnership will lack cohesion and run the risk of partners focusing on less important tasks-not on those that matter. 

He Pikorua and Te Tūāpapa

He Pikorua, is the practice framework for Learning Support practitioners, across Aotearoa, including RTLB. He Pikorua, was partly designed to better align and strengthen how professionals who provide learning support work together with educators. The focus is on collaborative, inclusive practices, where there is an opportunity to provide tiered levels of support for ākonga, Te Tūāpapa: Te Matua, Te Kahui and Te Arotahi.

In the early stages of He Pikorua, (i.e. Whakawhānaungatanga) we are forming our collective partnership. This is where establishing partnership with whānau, kaiako and ākonga occurs, usually in separate hui, but sometimes together. When working with whānau, we may need to visit them multiple times as a way to establish trust, safety and connection. In my RTLB Cluster 33, we call this a “Three cups of tea” approach.

Whakawhānaungatanga is also where we do the ‘mahi before the mahi’. These are background activities that we complete, often in our office space, in preparation for establishing the partnership: reading the Request for Support and attached online documentation such as reviewed plans and formalised reports from a range of community professionals. We start to form our professional stance.

Partnership Through a Cultural Lens: The importance of manaakitanga

At a recent RTLB Aotearoa PLN webinar on partnership, the following was shared:

In Māori and Pasifika cultures, manaakitanga is about more than kindness—it’s about actions that uphold the mana and dignity of others. True manaakitanga is shown through partnership, where each person contributes fully and with integrity. Reliability, honesty, and accountability are powerful ways of showing care and strengthening/upholding the mana of those around us.

The Power of Hui

I would argue that the power of hui provides an excellent platform in which manaakitanga can be seen. Values such as reliability, honesty and accountability can also be upheld within the hui space-hence upholding the mana of those around us. The power of hui also ensures that we are promoting partnership at the centre, which is a Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligation. 

In terms of the He Pikorua practice sequence, Tātai, Whakamahi and Whaiwhakaaro are all stages where the concept of partnership fits well. Working in these stages enables a collective partnership to be established, consolidated and deepened. This is via a well-constructed hui agenda, robust hui facilitation and effective post-hui communication/minutes of the hui at Tātai and Whakamahi stage. 

I would now like to share what works for me in terms of what an effective hui agenda looks like. This is a general guide to practice and fits nicely within Tātai and Whakamahi. All members of the partnership are shared into the agenda prior to hui, a few days before. This gives everybody an opportunity to contribute to content, if need be. It is also a way of reinforcing power-with. 

Within my agenda framework, I include: 

• Culturally affirming/appropriate opening and closing Karakia; Whakatauki

• Introductions (including for new people)

• Align and integrate school values

• Ākonga and whānau voice at the centre-may collect separately and feedback

• Identify positives, what’s going well-ākonga, whānau, kura, professionals

• Identify difficulties (including barriers): What are they? Action-steps to mitigate

• Professionals involved-obtain their feedback. What are their next steps?

• Any General Business

• Set review hui date/time that meets the needs of everyone, including ākonga and whānau.

This framework tends to be a hui sequence that works well. This is for any type of RTLB case and whether or not existing communication between whānau and kura is deemed or viewed as functional or dysfunctional. Every partnership that you form is different. This is because what feedback is obtained and discussed by people in partnership will be different depending on the needs and complexity of the RTLB case at hand. Also, any partnership will vary depending on who you have sitting around the table. Some partnerships only require a small number of people, while others require many more people. What is important is that ākonga and whānau have a voice and are placed at the centre of everything the partnership does. You may notice similarities and differences here, to how you facilitate hui in your mahi. 

Within each hui, the importance of confidentiality and why this is important, needs to be made explicit. Establishing boundaries and confidentiality, especially in the initial hui, ensures everyone around the table is on the same page. Maintaining confidentiality ensures everyone in partnership is kept safe, especially whānau and ākonga. 

In addition, deciding on the best way to communicate feedback/key information from the hui, is important. What works for me, for the larger gatherings, is an office school staff member who can accurately and concisely take effective ‘Minutes’-you don’t want to be spending your ‘own minutes’ having to re-format this information! However, you may be asked to provide a proofreading or editing lens to the minutes. 

My recommendation is that you try to cover all of your bases when facilitating a hui. As an example, I have learned from experience to have paper copies of school closing and opening karakia available for whānau. Don’t assume whānau know it. I recommend that you ‘do your homework’. I remember a grandmother who said to me recently she wanted to actively participate in hui. Not having the kupu in front of her, was her identified barrier and placed her on the back-foot. This problem was easily fixed. Subsequently, I photocopied colour copies of opening and closing karakia and put them on the table, before the hui started. Therefore, it was up to people in the partnership to decide if they needed it. Partnership is about being flexible and meeting the needs of its participants, especially if you are facilitating hui.

Initial Hui to Help Establish an Effective Partnership

Forming the partnership at initial hui needs to be a priority. It is highly recommended that the concept of partnership is firstly unpacked-I have done this via Timperley and Robinson’s (2002) conceptual definition, outlined earlier in this blog.

Secondly, a brainstorming session among the people in partnership is strongly recommended. Seeking answers to the following (or similar) pātai will ‘set-the-scene’ for any subsequent hui. The key is people in the partnership coming up with answers to pātai in a mana-enhancing, collaborative way. The person, I believe, who is in the best position to ‘set-the-scene’ is the person facilitating hui. Remember, their role is power-sharing, where consensus-based decisions are a collaborative effort, not a unilateral decision made solely by the facilitator (or anyone else). 

Possible pātai that can be used at initial hui:

• What does our partnership look like and what values do we want to promote? 

• How do we ensure manaakitanga is promoted and maintained? 

• What is our vision and what specific goals do we need?

• How do we partner together when we are not sitting around the table at hui? 

• What perspectives and skills do we each bring to this partnership?

• What could be some barriers for us forming effective partnerships?

• How do we ensure confidentiality?

• What is the best way for us to communicate together so key information is shared and everyone receives it in a timely manner? 

  
  

These pātai can also be reviewed at any stage of the He Pikorua process. 

Enablers to Partnership

Planning and facilitating an effective hui, ensures the following enablers of partnership are adhered to. These enablers are highlighted in the following visual:

Barriers to Partnership

Facilitating an effective hui with clear, consistent routines and a schedule also helps mitigate or prevent many barriers to effective partnership. Specific barriers that can arise include: limited vision, lack of clear purpose and goals, lack of monitoring and evaluation systems, and lack of clear roles and responsibilities. 

The key consideration, if any of these barriers arise, is to unpack the current challenge systematically and also decide collaboratively on the people who are in the best position to mitigate it. Looking at the ‘opposite alternative’ is important. For example, if the barrier in question is a lack of clear purpose or focus on specific goals, then the focus should be brainstorming what a clear purpose and specific goals looks like. 

It is also important to ensure the barrier in question does not snow-ball into something bigger. Therefore scheduling timely hui that addresses any barriers that have arisen, is important. For example, if there is a lack of behavioural monitoring or focus on evaluation systems within the partnership, who is in the best position to take on such a role? RTLB often completes this mahi. If there is a sensory component to behaviour, then an Occupational Therapist (OT) is probably in the best position to do this mahi. If an OT is not part of the LSP, then the collaborative decision may be to access one.

Other challenging barriers that can arise within a partnership, include: differences in philosophies and manners of working. For example, a kaiako who believes in a behaviourist philosophy focusing on rewards and consequences; compared with a RTLB who believes in a Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) approach, focusing predominantly on safety, connection and co-regulation. Changing an overall philosophy can take some time and these waters have to be navigated in a sensitive manner. Influencing a current belief or mindset can take less time-by promoting ‘one video or visual at-a-time’ is a manageable approach that I tend to use and has worked well.  

People with a hidden agenda can also be very problematic for all people within a formal partnership arrangement. People with a hidden agenda like to inject a toxic flavour into any partnership. They often are the silent types (during a collaborative hui) who will then spend time associating with those people in the partnership who will listen to them. They have a clear intent of undermining those people they see as their biggest threat, often trying to seek power or control. Don’t confuse the silent, shy or reserved personality-type with a person who has a sole intent on undermining others. There is a difference! The key is for someone within the partnership to spot it! One way to stop people with any hidden agenda, or even too much of a competitive edge, is to have crystal clear values. Unpacking or revisiting what Manaakitanga looks and feels like is a starting point to ensure any hidden agenda or unhealthy competition is quashed. 

Another key learning that I want to share with you, is this: When first forming a partnership, and you know the home-school partnership has been somewhat dysfunctional before you have come on board-try not get involved in ‘external dramas’. They are actually beyond your control. I recommend that you focus on the ‘here and now’ and stick to your knitting, what you can control. This is an important message to promote in any partnership. 

Dysfunctional Partnerships can be Transformed

This year I picked up a RTLB case where the home-school partnership was fractured. At the first hui (pre-Tātai), the school staff facilitated it because I was new to the LSP. I was there more as a participant.  Unfortunately, many verbal bombs full of blame were often dropped into conversation. Hidden agendas were real and nervous systems were activated. It made for interesting viewing, I must say! I believed, at that point, partnership transformation was required.

For transformation to occur, I subsequently made the decision, from that moment forward, to change the negative dynamics before my eyes. I saw it as a significant professional challenge. I was going to re-set the current dysfunctional partnership. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. 

There were two main things that I wanted to happen. First, I put my hand up to facilitate all future hui. I noticed that others were quite happy with this action. I could see school staff especially wanted change. What they were doing simply was not working. Secondly, in a subsequent hui, we went back to basics and unpacked what a workable partnership would look like. I used the questions outlined under the heading, Initial Hui to Help Establish an Effective Partnership. One of the decisions was to incorporate kura values into each hui. This included the value of respect. This value was unpacked and everyone in the room had their say. Another decision made was someone on staff to take accurate minutes during each hui-an office staff member was allocated to this role. 

Another collaborative decision was to set an agenda (like the one outlined) for each hui. It was shared-out to everyone in the LSP (prior to the hui) and people could add items to the agenda, if they wished. This was power-with, in action. 

These collective actions helped build clarity, communication and collaboration-all enablers to effective partnership.  I also made the decision to integrate the Circle of Control (CoC) into discussion. One of the key themes from the discussion is that partnering together can help change the present (‘here and now’) circumstances and events, not the past. Through our actions, we can shape the present and the future. 

This RTLB ‘case spotlight’ highlights that when the conditions are right, partnerships can be positive, functional and transformational. At the last hui near the end of last term, one whānau member commented to me after hui, that “It was nice to now attend positive meetings.” You know you are hitting the mark, with comments like this. The blame game was a thing of the past.

The Importance of Reflection

Reflection at the individual and collective level, should be at the heart of any effective  partnership. It should be interwoven at every stage of He Pikorua. Partnerships become somewhat redundant without formal reflection and evaluative processes. RTLB are often at the forefront of this. I recommend you consider answering these pātai on a regular basis, at every stage of He Pikorua-it will help the partnership to stay focused and intentional. 

Recommended pātai, are:

• Are you absolutely sure you have all the people and resources available to you that you need?

• Do you really know the overall purpose and ways of working? Does every partner know as well?

• Are you ready and willing to be honest with others?

• Are you ready and willing to encourage others to be honest with you? 

• Are you ready and willing to be not only tolerant but also welcoming of others' views and ideas?   

  
  

At Mana Motuhake stage of He Pikorua, RTLB are generally stepping aside. This is a chance for everyone in the LSP to reflect on overall successes, barriers and sustainable recommendations for the future. Key questions, like those outlined below, should be answered at this stage:

• What were some of the successes and outcomes?

• What has been the impact on ākonga and whānau? 

• What have been the barriers?

• What are some key recommendations or next steps?

• How do we ensure sustainability in practice?

Identifying those Sticky or Stressful Moments within Partnership-they will happen!

Like a good personal, romantic partnership, a professional partnership requires significant effort and commitment. Every professional partnership will have sticky or stressful moments. Sticky moments are where there is friction, disagreement or people not doing what they said they would do.  This is reality. We are human, after all. It is during those sticky moments that everyone within the LSP needs to be held accountable. Specifically, if someone is not pulling their weight within a partnership setting, the reasons for it should be explored in a respectful, mana-enhancing manner. Don’t assume things. There may be a genuine reason behind someone’s reason for not completing a particular task. Find out from them. The following question may be appropriate to ask at some point: What are you currently doing to contribute to this partnership?

Stressful moments can also happen in our personal lives and we can drop the ball on our professional obligations. If the genuine reason is a result of personal stress and anxiety, the appropriate form of action may be to hear them out and decide collaboratively on the best form of action. This may include reducing their workload and offering them a supportive listening ear. Private kōrero may be the most appropriate action. Be driven by what they say. If stress is the main point of concern, then it may be appropriate to ask: How can I/we support you within this partnership to make things better for you right now?

Partnership is about ‘reading the room’ and being cognisant of others personal needs and difficulties. This is because we often operate in stressful environments within our everyday mahi. 

My overall recommendation is to choose your questions carefully. If you are the person feeling stressed or overwhelmed then telling someone in the partnership who you trust, could be an important first step. Also, telling your RTLB Practice Leader would be an appropriate next step.

One Final Question…

Now, before I go, I am after a new, effective partnership. “Do you want to ‘partner-up’ with me?” (I hope you are not blushing!)     

Reference

Timperley, H., & Robinson, V. (2002). Partnerships: Accomplishing important work together. SET 3. Research Information for Teachers, 3, 41-43.

Useful Resources that may help within the Partnership Space

• Karman Drama Triangle

• Understanding the Circle of Control, Influence and Concern

• The Ladder of Inference