Healthy partnerships

Some problems confronting communities demand group solutions. They call for healthy partnerships where industry, training providers, community groups and individuals come together to meet challenges ranging from workforce and regional development to youth transitions.

But how do those involved in a partnership make sure it is working as well as it can?

A forthcoming report by Terri Seddon and colleagues, Sustaining effective social partnerships, provides a self-assessment tool that can be used to reflect on the health of a partnership. The tool is based on the five principles of partnership developed in an earlier report by Billett and colleagues, Forming, developing and sustaining social partnerships.

The principles are:

• shared purposes and goals
• relations with partners
• capacity for partnership work
• governance and leadership
• trust and trustworthiness.

The tool enables users to rate their views on the importance of the five principles and how these equate to their perceptions of practices in their partnership. The closer the actual practices to the ideal principles, the better the health of the partnership.

Forming, developing and sustaining social partnerships is available at www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1624.html.

Sustaining effective social partnerships is available at
www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1985.html