28th February 2018
What's here?
To get a clear picture of AMBIT you should first read AMBIT: an overview, one of the key sub-topics of the Introduction.
Here we describe:
- The five key elements of AMBIT practice
- The eight elements of AMBIT's principled stance
To illustrate this there are:
- A diagram (the AMBIT Wheel)
- Videos (see below)
The AMBIT Wheel
Download as PDF
You can download this diagram as a PDF hereAMBIT Basic Stance (outer ring of wheel)
8 elements of a principled stance: These define the core "stance" of an AMBIT practitioner in the work - the stance describes the "way of being-with", key areas that attention is balanced between, arranged in pairs that can easily be experienced by workers as mutually contradictory. The basic stance principles are best understood as a framework for keeping one's bearings, as "grab-rails" helping to keep an individual or team 'on track' - especially when the situation is stressful, risky, or simply uncertain. The stance describes ways of orienting oneself as a worker - towards clients, other professionals, and ideas about what to do. At times of high anxiety or confusion it is easy to find that one element of the stance has come to dominate, sometimes at the cost of losing other principles that would help if re-activated. At any time we can ask a colleague, or ourselves, "am I holding the basic stance?"
1. Individual keyworker relationship
2. Keyworker well-connected to wider team
3. Working in multiple domains
4. Taking Responsibility for integration
5. Scaffolding existing relationships
6. Managing Risk
7. Respect local practice and expertise
8. Respect for Evidence
AMBIT Basic Practice (inner rings of wheel)
Inner sections of the wheel: 5 elements of practice: These aspects of practice are core to Service Delivery for an AMBIT-influenced team: if they were missing or not held in some kind of balance, this would imply that what is being delivered is not AMBIT. The "load bearing axle" at the centre is the practice of Mentalization. Crucially, it is the requirement for a balance of activity across all five areas that should characterise each of the Phases of AMBIT work that an individual worker and client will negotiate together (these features are summarised at Service Delivery). AMBIT is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and creates a platform for local adaptation to build over. It is emphasised that different teams using this basic material in different ways will adapt timings and the Specific interventions that they deliver for their specific client group.
1. Mentalization
2. Working with your CLIENT
3. Working with your TEAM
4. Working with your NETWORKS
5. LEARNING at work
Practise makes perfect
There is an AMBIT Practice Audit Tool (APrAT) to audit a specific case (perhaps with your supervisor) and a set of AMBIT Stance Exercises to help practise these (ideally with your team as part of LEARNING at work.)