Benefits of creating cross-sectoral and interregional collaborations
“A lot of energy needs to be invested initially, but [by collaborating], you can go further, and then in the end, youth and family are better served.”
— Pascale Philibert, Conseillère A.P.P.R. (Planning Programming and Research Officer) – Director of Youth Protection –
CISSS in the region of Montérégie-Est
The creation of cross-sectoral and interregional collaborations with other organizations provides numerous benefits, such as:
1
Enriches the understanding of complex and systemic issue such as sexual exploitation and responds to it in a manner that is holistic and long-lasting.
2
Creates spaces for networking and for sharing information, expertise, intervention tools, good practices, projects and intervention workers’ experiences (for example, communities of practice). This makes it possible to avoid duplicating initiatives and projects, among other things.
3
Combines and maximizes the often limited resources of each sector in order to act in a complementary manner and offer youth a continuity of services. These resources can be human, political, financial, material or other in nature.
“If you do not take the first step to present the youth with resources that could be helpful once they reach 18, well, they won’t necessarily come knocking. […] When you’re already working together, you don’t need to knock at the door again, because the youth is already part of that resource, because you’re already working together, there is already a way in, they don’t have to restart the process because you’re already there.”
— Institutional stakeholder
4
Ensures effective, adapted and customized referrals, based on the needs of youth and their region of origin. This benefit is all the more pertinent considering the mobility of young victims of sexual exploitation or those who are runaways.
5
Promotes the formal or informal sharing of information between intervention workers in order to better evaluate
their client’s needs, establish a joint intervention plan and monitor their progress.
6
Bestows an increase in legitimacy through the improved efficiency that cross-sectoral collaboration can bring.
Lastly, working with partners makes it possible to accomplish things that could not be done when acting alone.
And It diminishes the risk of having youth fall between the cracks.
References
- CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale. (2018). Manuel du formateur : Prévention et intervention en exploitation sexuelle et prostitution juvénile. Unpublished document (Only in french)
- Leclerc, B-S. et Lessard, S. (2015). Évaluation de la qualité d’un partenariat dans le cadre de la mise en place d’une intervention intersectorielle de type école, famille et communauté. Recovered from (PDF) (Only in french)
- Marion, E. (2018). Construire la collaboration intersectorielle pour favoriser la réussite scolaire des jeunes en situation de placement : naviguer entre problématisations et controverses (Thèse de doctorat, École nationale d’administration publique, Montréal, Québec). Recovered from (PDF) (Only in french)
- Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. (2017). Le soutien à l’action intersectorielle favorable à la santé : Stratégie ministérielle. Recovered from (PDF) (Only in french)
- Health Nexus. (2017). Planning for partnership. Recovered from (PDF)
