actcoss text final.indd - ACT Council of Social Service

A belief in the value of coordination,
partnership and collaboration
Research demonstrates that effective collaboration
can have significant resource, organisational,
referral and service delivery benefits. A core part
of this paper is an analysis of the potential benefits
of collaboration and an overview of existing
collaborative activity in the ACT and elsewhere.
By doing so, we hope to advance the objective
expressed in the ACT Mental Health Strategy and
Action Plan 2003-8, to improve ‘coordination
between service sectors’. The Strategy identifies ‘the
development of effective partnerships between the
mental health sector and other sectors, including
[general practitioners] GP’s and community
organisations’ as a key feature of the Action Plan. 25
It also commits to collaboration between government
agencies, in identification and early intervention, 26
stating that:
Effective partnerships and linkages between
mental health services and the range of other
services required by consumers … are integral
to meeting the mental health care needs of
consumers. 27
EXPLORING THE CONCEPT OF COLLABORATION
Developing an effective integrated service strategy
requires ‘rigorous thinking’ about the ‘nature, form
and terms of cross-agency cooperation’. 28
At a theoretical and conceptual level, some of this
thinking has begun, with a developing ‘collaboration’
literature set. A review of this literature informs the
following discussion of the definition, objectives,
types, forms and stages of collaboration.
Defining collaboration
Collaboration has been defined as:
‘a process through which parties who see
different aspects of a problem can constructively
explore their differences and search for solutions
that go beyond their own limited vision of what
is possible’. 29
An alternative definition requires that organisations:
‘develop mechanisms – structures, processes
and skills – for bridging organisational and
interpersonal differences’. 30
The various goals pursued through collaboration
have been defined in the following categories:
• creation or modification of service delivery;
• resource maximisation;
• policy development at organisational or
community levels;
• systems development and change through
changed relationships between organisations;
and
• social and community development aimed at
strengthening communities.’ 31
Social service cooperation may be of three different
types, depending on the organisations involved. All
of them are essential to ensure the maximum efficacy
of the social service system.
Interdepartmental cooperation: This is cooperation
between government departments. It is critical
to enable governments to implement ‘whole-ofgovernment’
approaches to particular policy issues,
like mental health. It is also essential to reduce
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25 At 7.
26 At 7.
27 At 39.
28 Denise Henry, Place Management – A Partnership Approach, NCOSS Conference Paper, 2003, at 2.
29 Gray, B (1989), Collaboration: Finding common ground for multi-party problems. Jossey Bass, San Francisco at 105, cited by Dr Rae Walker, Collaboration and
Alliances: A Review for Vichealth, September 2000, published by Victorian Health Promotion Foundation at 1.
30 Kanter, R.M. (1994) ‘Collaborative Advantage: The Art of Alliances’, Harvard Business Review. July-August, quoted by Dr Rae Walker, Collaboration and Alliances:
A Review for Vichealth, September 2000, published by Victorian Health Promotion Foundation at 1.
31 University of Wisconsin – Cooperative Extension (1998), Evaluating collaboratives: Reaching the potential, University of Wisconsin, Madison, cited by Dr Rae Walker,
Collaboration and Alliances: A Review for Vichealth, September 2000, published by Victorian Health Promotion Foundation.
13 Towards an integrated mental health service system in the ACT•June 2007 NO WRONG DOORS