This free course, Collaborative problem solving for community safety, offers a range of techniques for community police officers, other community-based public service professionals and members of community groups working to solve problems collaboratively and creatively. It examines some of the ways which OU specialists in creative problem solving recommend to tackle difficult problems, and how to implement them in a community setting. Â
Overview
Syllabus
- Introduction
- Introduction
- Week1Week 1: Observation and experience
- Introduction
- 1 Learning and experience
- 1.1 Different types of learning
- 1.2 Using your everyday experiences
- 1.3 Sources of learning
- 2 Active listening skills
- 2.1 Key elements of active listening
- 2.2 Barriers to active listening
- 2.3 Understanding what is said, understanding what is meant
- 3 Developing empathy and building relationships
- 3.1 What is empathy?
- 3.2 When empathy is difficult
- 3.3 Empathy in policing
- 3.4 Steps to building empathy
- 4 Identifying vulnerability
- 4.1 The importance of identifying vulnerability in community policing
- 4.2 Key signs of vulnerability
- Summary
- References
- Further reading
- Acknowledgements
- Week2Week 2: Understanding community relationships
- Introduction
- 1 Searching for and making sense of information
- 1.1 Different types and sources of information
- 1.2 Using mind maps to help make sense of complex information
- 1.3 Further uses for mind mapping
- 1.4 The internet – using information found online
- 2 Identifying community stakeholders and assessing their interests
- 2.1 Introducing stakeholders
- 2.2 Stakeholders in community policing
- 2.3 Understanding influence and interests
- 3 Building network relationships
- 3.1 What is networking?
- 3.2 What does networking look like in practice?
- 3.3 How can a network support collaboration and problem solving in communities?
- 3.4 Understanding your community network and how to use it
- Week 2 quiz
- Summary
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week3Week 3: Communicating in your community
- Introduction
- 1 Learning to communicate more effectively
- 1.1 Communication skills
- 1.2 Developing your communication skills
- 1.3 Online communication skills
- 2 Communicating with colleagues and peers
- 2.1 The basic communication model
- 2.2 The importance of feedback
- 2.3 Using your feedback
- 3 Communicating with the community and the general public
- 3.1 The process model of communications
- 3.2 Communicating with community stakeholders
- 4 Working with partner services and groups
- 4.1 What do we mean by ‘working in partnership’?
- 4.2 Levels of partnership
- Summary
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week4Week 4: Problem solving and decision making
- Introduction
- 1 Learning through reflection
- 1.1 Reflection at work
- 1.2 Reflecting on your learning
- 1.3 Making a change
- 2 Assessing critical problems in community settings
- 2.1 What is a problem?
- 2.2 Solving a problem
- 2.3 Tame problems, messes and wicked problems
- 3 Different approaches to decision making
- 3.1 Rational decision making
- 3.2 A psychological perspective
- 3.3 Social pressures affecting our decision making
- 4 Identifying potential solutions
- 4.1 Decision making in policing
- 4.2 Proposing and negotiating solutions
- 4.3 Influencing
- 4.4 Negotiating
- Week 4 quiz
- Summary
- References
- Acknowledgements
