Collaboration / Partnership
Citizens are increasingly expecting various orders of government and community agencies to work collaboratively to address issues and deliver services. Families First Edmonton (FFE) is studying collaboration to discover how community, government and researchers can work together differently to offer services.
Some of the FFE families told us about their experiences navigating through the network of government and community agency systems in their efforts to access programs and services for themselves and their children.
Use this research now to gain a greater understanding of:
- The stages of collaborative partnerships and the critical role communication plays in sustaining successful collaborations
- The experience of the people trying to access programs and services for themselves and their children
Working Together: Building Successful Partnerships
An important part of the Families First Edmonton (FFE) project is learning how organizations and government can work together differently to achieve better results for children and families. FFE researchers are studying the effectiveness of its collaborative partnership throughout the study. This study-within-a-study report, Working Together: Building Successful Partnerships provides unique insights into this collaborative partnership and its processes during the formation and implementation stages.
Find out more about building successful partnerships by reading the accompanying highlight sheet
Overall, FFE partners report that the benefits of the partnership outweigh the drawbacks. Among those benefits:
- Acquisition of useful knowledge about services, programs or people in the community
- Development of valuable relationships
- Ability to have a greater impact together than an organization could on its own
- Ability to make a contribution to the community
You may find this useful if your organization is contemplating, or in the process of, working in a collaborative partnership. Working Together: Building Successful Partnerships may help you better:
- Understand and assess the factors that create collaborative synergy
- Understand and prepare for the implementation dip
Appreciate the necessity of clear communication throughout all stages of the partnershipDefine the stages and key tasks to achieve partnership goals.
BureaucraZy DVD and Discussion Guide
What's it like to be on the receiving end of programs and services? Do governments and community agencies make their programs readily accessible to low income families and their children? Or, is the client experience different than what is intended?
Some Families First Edmonton families provide a compelling account of their personal experiences when needing to access programs and services for themselves and their children.
You may find this qualitative research useful if your organization is:
- Currently delivering services to low income families
- Training staff to deliver services to low income families
- Reviewing your business processes for service delivery
BureaucraZy Discussion Guide
Read the discussion guide prior to reviewing the DVD. Explore the beliefs and values that underpin the health and social service system? How do these values and beliefs affect the provision of services to families with low income and consequently, the lives of these families? What are some different values and beliefs that could improve the provision of services to families with low income?
BureaucraZy DVD