Download 'Comparison of collaboration models'
An easy reference guide with more detail about how different collaboration models can work
Which approach best suits your needs?
There are many ways you can work with other organisations to maximise the use of existing or planned infrastructure to improve services for greater community benefit. This could include strengthening your existing sector or exploring cross-sector relationships.
We’ve provided three collaboration models to consider, with the emphasis on how infrastructure is used to facilitate working together. You can use these models as the basis of discussion with your stakeholders and the community as you decide on the best way to collaborate to support your place-based approach.
Your solution may include elements from one or more models, and will be influenced by the:
- benefits you want to achieve by sharing space and activities
- scale and capacity of the organisations
- capability of the existing infrastructure (or if new infrastructure is required)
- level of service integration sought by stakeholders
- perceived risk factors and risk tolerances.
Comparing the models
Purpose:
Using simple arrangements between service providers to increase overall level of service by sharing existing infrastructure.
How it works:
One organisation shares their own infrastructure or resources with other service providers. This provides a mutual benefit, including exposure to new clients, and leverages an existing infrastructure.
The arrangement could be across one or multiple sites and is usually a less formal structure and often has a temporary/limited time span.
Examples:
- A not-for-profit offers room-hire for community service groups.
- A hospital provides a venue for a short course operated by a mental health service provider.
Purpose:
Coordination of facilities in the same place which benefits service providers who share a similar customer base, and benefits the community by having convenient access to multiple services.
How it works:
A plan is developed enabling different organisations to be clustered in one place, offering a range of services and community benefits. These service providers act autonomously and retain their own identity with potential for cooperation and collaboration, such as shared funding or use of common areas.
The location may be different spaces within a single building which may have one lead agency and the rest as sub-tenants, or different buildings co-located in the same area.
Examples:
- A community centre located next to a high school shares the school’s sports facilities for activities outside school hours (informal).
- A government social services agency maximises occupancy of its building by offering leases to complementary service providers and includes childcare and a café. (formal)
- A local council partners with community organisations to create a community hub. Council owns the infrastructure and leases to the community organisations, with a community advisory committee providing input to Council on operations and development. (complex)
Purpose:
To provide seamless services to the community at one or multiple sites under a single entity or branding. This is used when there are multiple entities involved in funding and/or administration of the site.
How it works:
Service providers deliver coordinated activities and services within shared or co-owned infrastructure to provide seamless and complementary services to the community under one banner.
This will require formal governance and management arrangements. This could be a hub operator for a larger scale collaboration, or a lead agency could partner with other providers through a formal arrangement such as a memorandum of understanding and a management committee.
Examples:
- A ‘single front door’ facility that delivers integrated education, health and community services from within a single school-based facility. This provides access to a school and ‘hub services’, providing spaces enabling soft entry, play space, health services and formal education facilities.
- In a developing suburb, a cross-agency initiative involving state government, non-government and private stakeholders provides programs and services designed to meet the health, education and social support needs of the emerging community. These include a playgroup, health services, mental health, mums' group and other community activities.
How to get started
Identify your “why” - working together will mean different things to different people. Explore why each organisation is interested in sharing infrastructure. This will help:
- identify common goals
- ensure aspirations are aligned across organisations
- shape potential arrangements and the design of facilities and services.
The following questions may be useful:
- What are the needs, opportunities and expectations of the community?
- What problem is the infrastructure or space-sharing arrangement trying to solve?
- What is the change you want to see, that you can’t do on your own?
- What common priorities or synergies do the participating organisations have?
- What are the barriers and enablers?
- Are there impacts to your existing service delivery and how could these be mitigated?
- What capacity (financial, resources, etc) do the organisations have available?
- How much time, effort and resources can the organisations commit?
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Additional resources
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Multi-agency community services hubs
Download PDFThese models draw on the work of Barbara Romeril in her paper “Multi-agency community services hubs - Selecting a model to meet expectations”, which includes further detail on different ways integration can be implemented.
Community Door - Collaborative practice models
Visit websiteConsider the perspective "Community Door" provides on their web page "Collaborative Practice Models" including communities of practice, co-location and partnerships.
Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS)
Visit websiteQCOSS provides helpful collaborative guidance for a continuum of place-based approaches, from small and low intensity approaches, through to high level integrated collective impact initiatives.
The Victorian Government’s "Guide to Governing Shared Community Facilities" provides examples of different legal entities in the section on governing bodies.
A Guide to Delivering Community Precincts
Download PDF"A Guide to Delivering Community Precincts" also by the Victorian Government is useful if you are considering the co-location model within a precinct.
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