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Forming and sustaining partnerships to provide integrated services for young people : an overview based on the headspace Geelong experience

journal contribution
posted on 2011-02-01, 00:00 authored by Thomas Callaly, Kathryn Von TreuerKathryn Von Treuer, T van Hamond, Kelly Windle
Aim: To discuss critical considerations in the formation and maintenance of agency partnerships designed to provide integrated care for young people.

Methods:
Two years after its establishment, an evaluation of the headspace Barwon collaboration and a review of the health-care and management literature on agency collaboration were conducted. The principal findings together with the authors' experience working at establishing and maintaining the partnership are used to discuss critical issues in forming and maintaining inter-agency partnerships.

Results:
Structural and process considerations are necessary but not sufficient for the successful formation and maintenance of inter-agency partnerships and integrated care provision. Specifically, organizational culture change and staff engagement is a significant challenge and planning for this is essential and often neglected.

Conclusions: Although agreeing on common goals and objectives is an essential first step in forming partnerships designed to provide integrated care, goodwill is not enough, and the literature consistently shows that most collaborations fail to meet their objectives. Principles and lessons of organizational behaviour and management practices in the business sector can contribute a great deal to partnership planning.

History

Journal

Early intervention in psychiatry

Volume

5

Issue

Supplement 1

Pagination

28 - 33

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia

Location

Melbourne, Vic.

ISSN

1751-7885

eISSN

1751-7893

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2011, Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd