Team 3: Task force conflict

Description

We work at a mental health organization that serves children and youth within York Region. Our interdisciplinary team is composed of social workers, child and youth care workers and disability support workers to ensure all unique needs of everyone are met. We also have representation from our project management team. We receive funding from the provincial government to create a new innovative program that directly addresses the current mental and physical health needs of our clients. Jessica, the program director, sets up a task force of individuals across the organization who work directly in the field with youth and children. The task force has been assigned the task of brainstorming ideas for the new program. We set up a meeting and during the discussion, each member begins to disagree on what the new programs focus should be. The meeting begins to get heated, and conflict arises as individuals begin to make negative comments towards the others' discipline. What started as a meeting to brainstorm ideas for the new program with the hopes of changing the lives of youth accessing mental health services quickly becomes a hostile environment where personal attacks, poor behaviour, power imbalance, and a lack of respect takes place