Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T23:49:24.908Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Conceptualising and Facilitating Success in Interagency Collaborations: Implications for Practice from the Literature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

Miriam Herlihy*
Affiliation:
Institute of Education, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
*
address for correspondence: Miriam Herlihy, Institute of Education, Massey University, Albany, Private Bag 102 904, North Shore Mail Centre, Auckland 0745, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Collaboration between normally separate agencies involved in cases of child mental health, and those supporting their participation and inclusion in school settings, is being increasingly promoted as the answer to intervening in a more ecologically valid and responsive manner. Yet a clear-cut evidence base supporting interagency collaboration in practice is hindered by wide variation in how collaboration is defined, how collaborative initiatives are established and run, and how the success of widely varying programs is interpreted or evaluated. Despite this variation, some strong indicators of success continue to appear. An overview of the literature on interagency collaboration in the context of child mental health, special education, and wellbeing is presented, including risks, benefits, and indicators of success.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abbott, B., Jordan, P., & Murtaza, N. (1995). Interagency collaboration for children's mental health services: The San Mateo County model for managed care. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 22, 301313. doi:10.1007/BF02106885CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arredondo, P., Shealy, C., Neale, M., & Winfrey, L.L. (2004). Consultation and interprofessional collaboration: Modeling for the future. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60, 787800. doi:10.1002/jclp.20015CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blue-Manning, M., Summers, J., Frankland, H., Nelson, L., & Beegle, G. (2004). Dimensions of family and professional partnerships: Constructive guidelines for collaboration. Exceptional Children, 70, 167184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradshaw, L. (1997, November). Interagency collaboration: Preconditions, progress, and pressures. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Evaluation Association, San Diego, CA.Google Scholar
Bunger, A., Collins-Camargo, C., McBeath, B., Emmeline, C., Perez-Jolles, M., & Wells, R. (2014). Collaboration, competition, and co-opetition: Interorganizational dynamics between private child welfare agencies and child serving sectors. Children & Youth Services Review, 38, 113122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Collin, A. (2009). Multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary collaboration: Implications for vocational psychology. International Journal of Educational & Vocational Guidance, 9, 101110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ervin, N.E. (2004). Assessing interagency collaboration through perceptions of families. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 21, 4960.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Finello, K.M. (2011). Collaboration in the assessment and diagnosis of preschoolers: Challenges and opportunities. Psychology in the Schools, 48, 442453.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Germundsson, P., Hillborg, H., & Danermark, B. (2011). Interagency collaboration in vocational rehabilitation for persons with mental health problems: The perspective of the service users and the professionals. Disability & Society, 26, 699713. doi:10.1080/09687599.2011.602862CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grace, M., Coventry, L., & Batterham, D. (2012). The role of interagency collaboration in ‘joined-up’ case management. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 26, 141149. doi:10.3109/13561820.2011.637646CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Green, B.L., Rockhill, A., & Burrus, S. (2008). The role of interagency collaboration for substance-abusing families involved with child welfare (Report). Child Welfare, 87, 2961.Google Scholar
Hall, G., & Hord, S. (2006). Implementing change: Patterns, principles, and potholes. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.Google Scholar
Harbin, G., & Neal, P. (2004). Family Benefits Inventory. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center.Google Scholar
Harbin, G., Pelosi, J., Kameny, R., McWilliam, R., & Kitsul, Y. (1993). Barriers and facilitators to Interagency Coordination Scale. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center.Google Scholar
Harbin, G., Ringwalt, S., & Gaskill, F. (1994). Interagency Relationship Rating Scale. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center.Google Scholar
Harbin, G., Rous, B., & McClean, M. (2005). Issues in designing state accountability systems. Journal of Early Intervention, 27, 137164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hodges, S., Ferreira, K., Mowery, D., & Novicki, E. (2013). Who's in charge here? Structures for collaborative governance in children's mental health. Administration in Social Work, 37, 418432. doi:10.1080/03643107.2012.758062CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffman, L. (2006). Assessing family outcomes: Psychometric evaluation of the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68, 10691083.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horwath, J., & Morrison, T. (2011). Effective inter-agency collaboration to safeguard children: Rising to the challenge through collective development. Children & Youth Services Review, 33, 368375. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.10.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Idol, L., & Baran, S. (1992). Elementary school counselors and special educators consulting together: Perilous pitfalls or opportunities to collaborate? Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 26, 202213.Google Scholar
Idol, L., Nevin, A., & Paolucci-Whitcomb, P. (2000). Collaborative consultation (3rd ed.). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.Google Scholar
Knight, B.A., Knight, C., & Teghe, D. (2007). Students at risk: An Australian experience of interagency collaboration. Youth Studies Australia, 26, 5057.Google Scholar
Koren, P., DeChillo, N., & Friesen, B. (1992). Measuring empowerment in families whose children have emotional disabilities: A brief questionnaire. Rehabilitation Psychology, 37, 305321.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leathard, A. (2003). Interprofessional collaboration: From policy to practice in health and social care. New York: Brunner-Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLaughlin, J., & Covert, R. (1984). Evaluating interagency collaborations (State Series Paper No. 2). Chapel Hill, NC: North Carolina University.Google Scholar
McPherson, L., MacNamara, N., & Hemsworth, C. (1997). A model for multi-disciplinary collaboration in child protection. Children Australia, 22, 2128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nelson, C., & Pearson, C. (1991). Integrating services for children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Current Issues in Special Education No. 1. Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.Google Scholar
Nicholson, D., Artz, S., Armitage, A., & Fagan, J. (2000). Working relationships and outcomes in multidisciplinary collaborative practice settings. Child & Youth Care Forum, 29, 3973. doi:10.1023/A:1009472223560CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Polivka, B.J., Kennedy, C., & Chaudry, R. (1997). Collaboration between local public health and community mental health agencies. Research in Nursing & Health, 20, 153160.3.0.CO;2-J>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shaw, S.R., Glaser, S.E., & Ouimet, T. (2011). Developing the medical liaison role in school settings. Journal of Educational & Psychological Consultation, 21, 106117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheridan, S.M., Warnes, E.D., Woods, K.E., Blevins, C.A., Magee, K.L., & Ellis, C. (2009). An exploratory evaluation of conjoint behavioral consultation to promote collaboration among family, school, and pediatric systems: A role for pediatric school psychologists. Journal of Educational & Psychological Consultation, 19, 106129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stevenson, A., & Waite, M. (Eds.). (2011). Concise Oxford English dictionary (12th ed.). NewYork: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Tonelson, S., & Waters, R. (1993). Interagency collaboration. In Billingsley, B. (Ed.), Program leadership for serving students with disabilities (pp. 101102). Blacksburg, VA: Virgina Polytechnic Institute and State University.Google Scholar
Townsend, A., & Shelley, K. (2008). Validating an instrument for assessing workforce collaboration. Community College Journal of Research & Practice, 32, 101112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tseng, S.H., Liu, K., & Wang, W.-L. (2011). Moving toward being analytical: A framework to evaluate the impact of influential factors on interagency collaboration. Children & Youth Services Review, 33, 798803. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.11.028CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walter, U.M., & Petr, C.G. (2000). A template for family-centered interagency collaboration. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 81, 494503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woodland, R.H., & Hutton, M.S. (2012). Evaluating organizational collaborations: Suggested entry points and strategies. American Journal of Evaluation, 33, 366383. doi:10.1177/1098214012440028CrossRefGoogle Scholar