Working in Partnership: approaches and behaviours for effective collaboration is a digital toolkit developed by CIWEM that contains a collection of tools and approaches that enable people to foster positive partnership environments by taking appropriate action and role-modelling effective partnership behaviours. This toolkit makes the human aspects of working in partnership recognisable and accessible to those wanting to work better, together.
Developed through extensive research and mining of lived experience from those working in real water and environmental partnerships, the course centres on the individual: how personal behaviours, leadership actions and communication shape trust, relationships and collective success.
Rather than prescribing templates or governance structures, the toolkit and related training helps learners develop the awareness, confidence and judgement required to create effective partnering environments, using practical scenarios drawn from diverse water management partnerships of different scales, drivers, complexity and geographies.
Through an introductory full day workshop, delegates learn the principles of effective partnership environments and how to apply the toolkit to their real-world challenges and opportunities. After a day of shared ideas and learning they leave with a full toolkit, that renews annually and becomes a guide that they can use case by case and challenge by challenge to foster environments where they and their partners can succeed together.
We advise booking the course with the workshop option. This will provide you with an in-depth understanding of the toolkit and how to apply it more effectively to your work. However, we provide the option to book only the toolkit. The toolkit licence only provides access to it, without training on how to best use it.
This is for anyone working in collaborative environments, where outcomes depend on effective partnership working rather than individual organisational control.
It is particularly relevant for those involved in:
- Managing flood risk, water quality, water resources and environmental resilience
- Delivering integrated, multi-benefit solutions at any scale (catchment, regional, local)
- Working across regulatory, operational, organisational, planning and delivery boundaries
- Leading, contributing to or supporting partnerships, programmes or alliances
- Navigating competing priorities, limited resources and shared accountability
Whether you work in regulation, local or national government, water companies, infrastructure delivery, environmental organisations, consultancy or community-based partnerships, this toolkit and course help you strengthen the people skills needed to turn collaboration into opportunity and delivery.
This one day workshop and toolkit offers actionable, flexible learning rooted in real case studies and lived experience, supporting adaptive and innovative approaches to partnership working. It avoids prescriptive models, instead helping learners apply insights directly to their own context, using the tools and approaches to respond confidently to complexity, change and collaboration challenges. By completing the toolkit and e-learning, participants will be able to:
Understand how individual behaviours influence partnership culture and outcomes Build and sustain trust-based relationships Navigate differing priorities, power dynamics and organisational cultures Communicate with clarity, empathy and intent Support collaboration across boundaries and disciplines Apply practical approaches to real partnership challenges Reflect on their own role, influence and impact 
The water sector faces growing, interconnected risks of flooding, drought, water quality challenges, environmental decline, climate change and growth pressures. At the same time, policy and funding requirements increasingly expect partnership working and related investment to deliver multiple outcomes, creating value for nature, climate resilience, place and communities alongside risk management and growing resource constraints.
This shift towards integrated, catchment and regional delivery relies on partnership working. While technical and financial frameworks continue to evolve, experience shows that delivery can be constrained by people-related challenges e.g. misaligned objectives, unclear roles, missing trust and ineffective collaboration across organisational boundaries.
CIWEM developed this toolkit and course to overcome these challenges and better deliver opportunities for environmental outcomes. It focuses on the behaviours, mindsets and people skills needed to turn partnership funding and policy intent into delivery and action, enabling professionals to align priorities, unlock value and deliver credible, multi-beneficial outcomes with confidence.
A discounted rate to book the toolkit licence only of £30 + VAT is available for delegates on the two lists below. Please email learning@ciwem.org to receive a quote for workshop discounted rates.
Employees working for funding organisations:
People working for organisations that fall in the categories below:
To access the discounted rates, please email our team at learning@ciwem.org or call 020 7831 3110, and we will provide you with a code.
If you have any questions, please email our team at learning@ciwem.org or call 020 7831 3110.
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Book a courseCIWEM and CIWEM Professional Services Ltd (CPSL) are part of the CIWEM Group. Registered in England and Wales. Company No. 02773409. Registered office address: 106-109 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8QS.
CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) Registered Charity No. 1043409 (England & Wales) Registered Charity No. SCo38212 (Scotland). Registered office address: 106-109 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8QS.
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