Partnership quick fixes? Maybe not!
When local authorities, private sector bodies, and indeed voluntary organisations, are faced with tight timetables and firm guidelines it is difficult to think through the complexities for participation and partnership. There is a strong temptation to go for a quick fix and hope to sort things out later. Here are a few health warnings on different forms of partnerships!
· Set up a forum
· Create special interest fora
· Appoint community representatives
· Set up a Community Development Trust
· Form a steering group of all interests
· Run a Planning for Real exercise
· Get the money first, worry about partnership later
Set up a forum
A forum may seem an easy way to get a wide range of interests together and act as a sounding board, but should it be labelled a partnership? For example:
- Will the different interests be able to develop a common vision or will they simply argue for their individual priorities?
- How representative will the forum be? Will it just represent large, well-organised groups?
- Will the implementing organisations be bound by forum decisions?
Create special interest fora
Rather than putting all interests together, give them each a forum. But then:
- Are they a self-selecting group?
- Who decides the issue or area to be covered?
- How will an overall vision be developed?
- Will it be possible to support and service all the fora: what resources are available?
- Will there be sufficient interested people with time to spare?
Appoint community representatives
Instead of creating more organisations, give community representatives seats on the decision-making bodies. However:
- Who will choose the representatives and on what basis?
- Will they have the same support and access to information as others on the committee?
- How will they discover and express the views of community interests?
- What checks will people have on their representatives?
Set up a Community Development Trust
Development trusts are non-profit-distributing companies, which may seek charitable status. They have their own staff and are governed by a Board including a range of interests. They are described in more detail elsewhere in the information sheets but they may not always be the most appropriate form of partnership.
Consider:
- Do you have the time and expertise to create and run a company?
- Will funding be available to pay staff in early years?
- Will there be ways in which the trust can earn income to maintain operations in the longer term?
Form a steering group of all interests
A steering group would have more say than a forum, but not control resources like a Development Trust. It may seem a reasonable compromise, but consider:
- Will the members expect more power than implementing bodies are prepared to give?
- Will the different interests have sufficiently similar styles of working to operate together?
- How will steering group members be selected, and how will they relate to their 'constituents'?
- Will they able to deliver, or will they just be another talking shop?
Run a Planning for Real exercise
Instead of relying solely on formal structures, using workshop techniques allows participation to be taken to residents and others. Planning for Real is one powerful technique which allows participants to build models of the neighbourhoods they want, and develop action plans. It provides more active involvement than public meetings or fora. However:
- Does running the exercise imply that the results will be adopted? Are budgets sufficiently flexible for this?
- Will a development worker be available to support groups which form around the ideas developed?
- Will there be time for ideas to be worked through?
- Who will implement?
Get the money first, worry about partnership later
Dress up funding bids with token representation, then bring people on board when the money is there. This may be convenient for the bidding body however:
- Will it then be possible to gain the commitment of other partners whose support, skills and funds may be needed?
- Will local groups challenge rather than support plans which have been developed without them?
- Will the funder see through the ploy?
Will plans be flexible enough to respond to local needs and demands?