7. Getting Organised: Roles and Hats

Clarifying the first organising steps within a team

Every Equal Care team is different, but all teams share a need for some coordination to make sure things run smoothly. We use 'hats' to represent these organising roles. A hat isn’t a job title or a fixed label - it’s simply a role that someone agrees to take on for a while, in service of the team.

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🧢 What is a “hat”?

A hat is a clearly defined responsibility that supports the running of the team. Hats are:

• Visible on the Equal Care platform

• Time-limited (with regular check-ins)

• Held by consent: no one is pressured to wear a hat they haven’t agreed to

• Redistributed as needed, based on people’s capacity and strengths

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🧰 The essential hats at the beginning

Some hats are needed from the very start. These typically include:

Hat	What it’s for
Rota Holder	Makes sure the rota is up to date and shifts are filled
Profile Holder	Keeps the Getting Support Profile current
MAR Holder	Oversees medication records and updates the MAR chart
Team Chat Admin	Manages the online space, pinning key info and inviting members
Check-in Facilitator	Arranges regular team check-ins to reflect and share feedback
Safeguarding Lead (if needed)	The go-to person for concerns or safeguarding queries

At first, many of these will be held by the Team Starter, especially in teams that are still forming. Their aim is always to help others step in, one hat at a time, as confidence and trust grow.

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🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The first team meeting and hat nominations

Once a few people are in place, the team will usually have a first meeting. This is a good moment to:

• Reflect on how things are going so far

• Name the hats currently being worn

• Talk about what hats are needed

• Invite nominations: people can put themselves forward or be invited by others

• Agree who will try which hat for now, and when to check in again

This doesn’t have to be formal - sometimes it happens organically via chat or small conversations. What matters is clarity and shared understanding.

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🌱 How hats evolve over time

As the team develops:

• People may take on new hats or pass them on

• More hats may be created (e.g. “activities organiser” or “family liaison”)

• Teams can split complex hats into smaller ones, or combine lighter ones

• The team may start to rotate some hats to share learning and experience

It’s all about what works for the people involved. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, only the principle of working together with openness, clarity and care.