Relational Dynamics Within a Southeast Asian Social Service Agency

Abstract

There is a growing literature that describes the benefits and challenges of collaboration among schools, counsellors, and the families of students. This literature, however, is largely drawn from Western cultural settings and from situations where the different collaborators exist as essentially separate entities. This article seeks to add to and broaden that literature by reporting on a social service agency in Southeast Asia that works with often highly traumatized children and young people. A qualitative, life history approach is used to report on the experiences and perceptions of counsellors, teachers, and foster-care parents, who are all employed by the agency and who contribute their differing roles to the care and development of the young people. The insights of the groups are presented, and the findings are discussed in the context of existing literature, with particular attention to issues of positioning and power. Attention is drawn to the role of agency senior leadership and to the importance of professional development that attends to broad issues of relational dynamics, not just specifics of service provision.

Keywords:

• Cambodia
• positioning and power
• professional relationship
• school–community collaboration