Working / Not Working

Factsheet

What it is

Where it comes from

What it does

What are the benefits?

When to use it

What it is

What’s Working / What’s Not Working is an exercise which encourages families and professionals to
•	find solutions 

•	share experience and expertiseworktogetherto 

Where it comes from

Person centred approaches support the Personalisation agenda and the special educational needs reforms in the Children and Families Bill (2013).

It is part of a range of person centred thinking tools developed by The Learning Community for Person Centred Practices to help people think and plan together more effectively.

What it does

express what they feel positive and negative about 

•	acknowledge points of conflict or disagreement 

•	listen to other perspectives in a non-confrontational environment 

•	look for practical solutions and plan what to do next, acknowledge the points of conflict or disagreementWhat’sWorking/What’sNotWorkingisasimpletoolwhichallowsallpeopleinvolvedinasituationto: 
What are the benefits?  

Families feel listened to and empowered to discover solutions 

•	it encourages dialogue and demonstrates each party's willingness to improve the situation 

•	captures good quality information to shape an action plan which is more detailed and personalised 

•	even when there is no easy solution to a problem, it gives space to listen and acknowledge each perspective and plan how to support the current situation in the best way possible

When to use it

At a review meeting 

•	if there is a recurring problem 

•	to check how things are going 

•	when people see things differentlyWhentouseit