Collaborative multi-agency working
Collaboration between organisations and across sectors is more prevalent than ever, and is set to increase, with the onset of such policy instruments as Local Area Agreements. Collaboration is also increasingly demanded at every organisational level, from joint policy development to ‘joined up working' by frontline staff.
Yet collaboration is often far less than the sum of its parts, beset by recurring problems and causing a great deal of frustration. We specialise in all aspects of multi-agency collaborative working and can help you pick your way through the problems, make the most of the resources and capacity in place, and increase the productiveness of your collaborative alliances and projects.
We do this by:
- Supporting the setting up of a new collaborative venture, to ensure it gets off to the best possible start; many key mistakes are made in the early stages of collaboration and can prove very hard to put right later
- Building the capacity of key players to work in unfamiliar ways, in sometimes challenging contexts
- Acting as an independent ‘broker' to help build trust and understanding amongst the collaborators .
- Providing guidance on the always difficult task of linking policy / strategy development with tangible actions, and monitoring performance.
- For more on collaborative working see Collaborative working - the engine room of sustainable developement
Examples of our work
Environment Agency |
Helping staff to consider a new approach to complex multi-agency working challenges in the Somerset Moors and Levels area. An exporation of future national requirements for multi-agency collaboration on flood risk management. |
Bridgend County Borough Council |
We worked with senior managers to reassess their policy and practice in relation to Community Planning. This included some facilitated sessions to build trust and understanding between senior players in the local authority, the Health Trust and Local Health Board. |
Bournemouth & Poole Tourism Partnerships. |
Assisting early discussions on how the two partnerships could liaise more closely on strategic issues. |