Collaborative Capacity Building Research Articles

Experiences and perceptions of nurses participating in an interprofessional, videoconference-based educational programme on concurrent mental health and substance use disorders: a qualitative study

BackgroundIndividuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (i.e., concurrent disorders) have complex healthcare needs, which can be challenging for nurses to manage. Providing optimal care for this subpopulation requires nurses to develop high-level competencies despite limited resources at their disposal and the isolated settings in which many of them work. The Extension for Healthcare Community Outcomes (ECHO®) is a promising collaborative learning and capacity building model that uses videoconference technology to support and train healthcare professionals in the management of complex and chronic health conditions. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of nurses participating in a Canadian ECHO programme on concurrent disorders about the competencies they developed and used in their clinical practice, and which factors have influenced this process.MethodsThe study was qualitative, guided by an interpretive description approach. Individual semi-structured interviews were held with ten nurses who had participated in the programme between 2018 and 2020. A thematic analysis was conducted iteratively using an inductive approach to progressive data coding and organization.ResultsFour themes and eighteen sub-themes were identified. During their participation in ECHO, the nurses perceived as having further developed eight clinical nursing competencies. Nurses viewed ECHO as a unique opportunity to open themselves to their peers’ experiences and reflect on their own knowledge. Learning from experts in the field of concurrent disorders helped them to build their confidence in managing complex clinical situations. The nurses’ sense of belonging to a community further enhanced their engagement in the programme, and learning was facilitated through the programme’s interprofessional environment. Nevertheless, the lack of contextualized educative content linked to local realities, the limited resources in concurrent disorders, and time constraints were experienced as factors limiting competency development.ConclusionsECHO is a promising alternative to conventional, in-person continuing education programmes to improve the development of advanced competencies among nurses providing care to individuals with chronic and complex health conditions. These findings can inform clinicians, educators, researchers, and decision makers who are developing, implementing, evaluating, and escalating future educational interventions in the field of CDs.

Strengthening Collaborative Health Systems Research and Capacity Building in India

Strengthening Collaborative Health Systems Research and Capacity Building in India

The Group-Based Dissertation in Practice: A Journey Worth Taking

This personal reflective essay explores a group Dissertation in Practice (DiP) model and process used in a localized Doctor of Education program. It describes and recommends this team-based DiP approach as an innovation that prepares practitioners to tackle complex problems of practice by focusing on a process centered around group dynamics that requires collaboration, advanced dialectical activity, engagement of stakeholders, and application of solutions to localized problems of practice. The framework of the exploration is based on accepted theories of small group development. Implications of this DiP approach include providing doctoral students collaborative problem-solving skills and professional capacity building. Ultimately, the model enables doctoral students, as future educators and leaders, to transform an environment predicated on teaching and learning in isolation to one of a highly functioning, effective team-based professional practice.

Building research capacity in hospital-based social workers: A participatory action research approach

Research engagement can support a social work clinician, manager and educator in the complexity of everyday practice however in the hospital setting social workers find themselves challenged by the range of potential research questions and methodologies that do not align with their daily experience, professional values or ways of collaboratively working. Four metropolitan hospitals and a university partner worked together to explore the impact of a collaborative capacity building model on the ability for social workers to engage in research activity. Using a Participatory Action Research framework, the research team identified the elements that contribute to a non-hierarchical and successful research dynamic, as well as the challenges that committing to research activity brings in the clinical role. Through reflecting on and articulating the pracademic, or practitioner-researcher, model used and the dominant values that contribute to social work research this study is transferable to other similarly challenged hospital social work departments and health settings.

Stakeholder perspectives on the effectiveness of the Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership: a qualitative study

BackgroundInterventions to reduce population salt intake are feasible and cost-effective. The Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership implemented a complex, multi-faceted salt reduction intervention between 2014 and 2020 in the Australian state of Victoria. This study aimed to understand stakeholder perspectives on the effectiveness of the Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with Partnership and food industry stakeholders. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was adapted for the Partnership intervention and used to guide the qualitative analysis.ResultsFourteen Partnership and seven food industry stakeholders were interviewed. The Partnership was viewed as essential for intervention planning and decision-making and an enabler for intervention delivery. The goals of capacity building and collaborative action were perceived to have been achieved. The implementation team executed intended intervention activities and outputs, with some adaptations to strategy. Barriers and enablers to implementation were identified by interviewees, such as compatibility of individual, organisational and Partnership values and building positive relationships between the Partnership and food industry, respectively. Legal, political, social, environmental, technological and economic factors affecting intervention design, delivery and outcomes were identified.ConclusionsEstablishing a Partnership with diverse skills and experience facilitated collaborative action, capacity building and execution of the intervention. Monitoring and evaluating implementation informed strategy adaptations, which allowed optimisation of Partnership strategy. The importance of developing strong communication networks between strategic and implementation-levels was a key lesson.

Enhancing resilience through capacity building in LCCAP formulation in the local government of Aurora, Philippines

Climate Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA) and Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) provide the scientific and legal platform for climate change adaptation and mitigation in the Philippines. This APN CAPaBLE project responds to the limited technical capacity of local government units (LGUs) to comply with this requirement through collaborative capacity building. Evaluation of CDRA and LCCAP led to a National Interagency Technical and Policy Forum to formulate action plans and fast-track preparations. The initial stage of the project demonstrated collaborative advantage as a condition for mobilizing human and financial resources was enabled. Collaborative inertia set in once the technical limitations of Aurora LGUs surfaced to complete the CDRA. This mirrored the results of the institutional capacity survey, administered to 87 disaster risk reduction and management Technical Working Group (TWG) members, highlighting the LGUs limitations in data availability and functional knowledge on climate change. Thus, a shift in capacity building strategy through focused mentoring and managing LGU expectations was done. The Aurora LGUs successfully completed its CDRA and LCCAP requirements through a lengthy and arduous process. It was acknowledged that CDRA preparation has a steep learning curve and competes heavily with other multiple functions and pressing demands from the LGUs. The national interagency forum resolution suggested that the CDRA be assigned to another government agency while LGUs shift capacity development initiatives to understanding and mainstreaming scientific assessment into local plans. The project experience highlights the difficult, yet promising, path to human security development and resilience building and underscored prudence and urgency of adaptation planning at the local level.

Capability Building of Coordinating with Other Educators for Preschool Teachers in Educating Developmentally Disabled Children in Gia Lam District, Hanoi, Vietnam

The paper deals with the theory and practice of collaborative capacity building for preschool teachers with other educator forces in care and education of children with developmental disabilities in Gia Lam district, Hanoi, Vietnam. The results of theoretical and factual studies indicate that: Developmental disabilities are the development of high-level functional disabilities in the central nervous system during development, which presents a distortion or problem of cognitive abilities, communication, social, learning, attention, etc. Fostering the capacity to coordinate social forces in caring for and educating children with developmental disabilities is a continuation of training to develop the capacity of coordinating the social forces in care and education. The capacity of coordinating with other educator forces for teachers of preschool children with developmental disabilities vary in its objectives, methods and forms. Despite the concern and care from managers and authorities, there are still many teachers who do not fully understand the problem. The development of coordination plans with social forces in the education of children with developmental disabilities has been paid attention, but only in the general plan on the coordination of social forces. Measures should be taken to improve the effectiveness of capacity building for preschool teachers with the education staff in developmental care for children with disabilities to develop a standardized, consistent and consistent system of procedures. It is essential to improve the quality of early childhood education and help preschool teachers equip themselves with knowledge, skills and skills in coordination with other social forces.

Language matters: developing educators’ expertise for English learners in linguistically diverse communities

ABSTRACTThe population of English learners (ELs) continues to grow in schools across the United States and around the world. In this article, we share one urban university’s collaborative approach to building educational capacity for cultural and linguistic diversity through professional development efforts that brought together stakeholders from classrooms, schools, communities, and districts. This grant-funded project aimed to build educator expertise to effectively support and positively influence students’ language development and disciplinary learning. Grounded in sociocultural theory, we used an apprenticeship framework of teacher development, strategically planning and implementing collaborative capacity building efforts to foster learning across individual, interpersonal, and institutional planes. In this paper, we share the results of professional development efforts across three years of this project, drawing from observation, interview, and focus group data. Findings indicate that classroom-, school-, and district-level educators developed knowledge of discipline-specific language development, pedagogical skills for effective EL teaching and learning, and leadership abilities to positively shape institutional responses to their culturally and linguistically diverse student populations. Implications focus on fostering teacher professionalism through bottom-up development of EL-specific expertise and expanded opportunities for leadership.

A Knowledge‐Based Approach to Public Value Management: A Case Study of Change Implementation in Disability Services in Western Australia

AbstractThis paper provides a knowledge‐based perspective to understanding public value management (PVM). As distinct from other approaches to public administration, PVM focuses on collaborative capacity building for the creation of public value. To develop the notion of PVM further, we explore the role of a knowledge‐based strategy in a case study of change implementation in 18 disability service organisations in Western Australia. Our findings show important inter‐relationships between knowledge management strategy, adopting a person‐centred approach to service provision, and sustainability of change implementation. We discuss the implications of the study for disability sector change management and for the further exploration of the strategic role of knowledge management capabilities in the study and practice of PVM in public sector administration. The paper explores the relationship between an organisation's knowledge capture and sharing systems and processes and its ability to implement change in a way that generates long‐term benefits for both public sector employees (e.g., engaging with key stakeholders to generate innovative solutions for serving client needs) and clients (i.e., increased well‐being through better service design and support).

Building Research Competencies in Canadian Academic Libraries: The CARL Librarians' Research Institute

ABSTRACTThis article overviews work by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) to build the workforce competencies and capacity of academic librarians in respect of librarian research skills. CARL's Librarians' Research Institute (LRI) is reviewed and evaluated as a case study example of strategic and collaborative workforce capacity building. The CARL LRI offers a model for possible replication by others seeking to build workforce competencies and capacity through collaborative action.

Developing collaborative capacity in pilot projects: Lessons from three Dutch flood risk management experiments

Pilots are frequently used to explore the possibilities for policy innovation at a distance from the policy regime in a safe environment, but they can also function as a boundary organization and contribute to the development of trust, mutual understanding and reciprocity among different actors with different viewpoints. However, the question of how pilots’ particular characteristics contribute to collaborative capacity building is as yet unanswered. A specific domain in which pilots are frequently used is the emerging domain of climate change adaptation. In the Netherlands, pilots are used to explore the possibilities of using a more risk-based approach to flood management. The traditional approach of preventing floods by dikes and dams is gradually being replaced by a risk-based approach called multilevel flood safety. In this approach, which is quite complex compared to the traditional prevention-oriented approach, flood risk management is based on three types of measures at different levels: preventing floods, adaptive spatial planning and emergency management. The implementation of this new approach requires collaboration among different public authorities with different task orientations, legal competencies and resources. In 2013, three regional pilots were started to explore how this new concept could be applied. These pilots (in which collaboration was indispensable but also highly difficult because of the huge fragmentation of the policy arena) are analyzed in this paper to determine whether and how the specific functional context of a pilot project contributes to collaborative capacity building, which pilot characteristics contribute to this capacity, and which ones hinder its development.

The experiences of lecturers in African, Asian and European universities in preparing and delivering blended health research methods courses: a qualitative study

BackgroundGrowing demand for Global Health (GH) training and the internationalisation of education requires innovative approaches to training. Blended learning (BL, a form of e-learning combining face-to-face or real-time interaction with computer-assisted learning) is a promising approach for increasing GH research capacity in low- to middle-income countries. Implementing BL, however, requires additional skills and efforts from lecturers. This paper explores lecturers’ views and experiences of delivering BL courses within the context of two north–south collaborative research capacity building projects, ARCADE HSSR and ARCADE RSDH.DesignWe used a qualitative approach to explore the experiences and perceptions of 11 lecturers involved in designing and delivering BL courses collaboratively across university campuses in four countries (South Africa, Uganda, India and Sweden). Data were collected using interviews in person or via Skype. Inductive qualitative content analysis was used.ResultsParticipants reported that they felt BL increased access to learning opportunities and made training more flexible and convenient for adult learners, which were major motivations to engage in BL. However, despite eagerness to implement and experiment with BL courses, they lacked capacity and support, and found the task time consuming. They needed to make compromises between course objectives and available technological tools, in the context of poor Internet infrastructure.ConclusionsBL courses have the potential to build bridges between low- and middle-income contexts and between lecturers and students to meet the demand for GH training. Lecturers were very motivated to try these approaches but encountered obstacles in implementing BL courses. Considerable investments are needed to implement BL and support lecturers in delivering courses.

Public Value Management: A Case Study of Transitional Change in Disability Sector Reform in Western Australia

This paper contributes to the study of public value management (PVM). PVM is distinguished from other approaches to public administration in its focus on establishing community networks and collaborative capacity building for the creation of public value. We explore PVM through a case study of a public–community sector partnership strategy called the positive behaviour framework (PBF), a state government initiative designed to transform services for people with disabilities. The development and implementation of the PBF is analysed via a transitional change or ‘sector awareness’ model. Each phase of the model is illustrated through ‘positive stories’ that depict key moments in the change process and in the activities that public sector managers employed to raise awareness, build capacity, and promote collaboration. We discuss the implications of the study for disability sector change management and for the further study of the PVM approach to public sector administration.

Ethics in global health research: the need for balance.

Ethics in global health research: the need for balance.

Mentoring librarians for scholarly publishing

This paper illustrates the experiences of the University of Namibia (UNAM) Library in demonstrating that librarians in its employment are, indeed, academic staff by research and publications and by performing academic support functions for researchers, students, faculties and centres. This was tested through the UNAM Library capacity building project initiative in partnership with the Helsinki University (HU) Library and Tampere University (UTA) Library, in Finland. The learning objectives of this collaborative project were to improve competencies of UNAM Library staff so that they are able to function expertly and competently in an academic environment and to evidently assert their position as academic staff. The approach applied in this collaborative capacity building project included staff exchanges to share best practices; joint seminars, meetings and mentorship programs with research as a cross cutting issue in all the areas. Staff members were encouraged to think critically about what they have learned, how it contributes to their work at UNAM and to develop their research skills. One of the highlights of this collaborative project is a book with the title Empowering People – Collaboration between Finnish and Namibian University Libraries. The book provides evidence to the librarians themselves as well to the university community that research and scholarly communication is equally a part and parcel of the librarians’ work.

Support for Sister-Affiliated Ministries During Challenging Times: Understanding a Foundation Initiative in Two Regions

Keywords: Foundation initiative, Catholic sisters, capacity buildingIntroductionCatholic sisters have established schools, hospitals, and social service ministries that have served hundreds of thousands of people over past 200 years (Leadership Conference for Women Religious, 2010). Due natural aging of Catholic sisters and a decline in new vocations, however, there is an accelerating loss of sisters and their ministries nationwide (Gautier & Cidade, 2010). Although this loss is itself a concern, a more important impact is experienced by beneficiaries of ministries, especially those who have few alternatives sister-affiliated social services. Because these ministries fill an important gap in social safety net for vulnerable populations, disappearance of ministry-directed efforts has begun draw attention of foundations (Wittberg, 2000).In 2001 Saint Ann Foundation (now Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland) conducted a research study on ministries of women religious across Kentucky, Tennessee, and South Carolina and identified three challenges facing sisters and their ministries: (1) an aging and declining number of sisters in ministry; (2) an increase in underlying needs ministries were addressing; and (3) paucity of plans in place for transitioning ministry leadership or sustaining ministry services (Csank, 2002). To address these challenges foundation embarked upon a Collaboration for Ministry Initiative (CMI), with a goal of building collaborative capacity within and among ministries by providing grants, training and technical assistance, and opportunities for networking. Over time, Cleveland initiative narrowed focus on northeast Ohio.In 2003 Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina conducted a study of Catholic sisters in that state and reached similar conclusions regarding fewer sisters, their imperiled ministries, and need for collaborative capacity building (Csank, 2004). In 2004 CMI expanded South Carolina and efforts began across both regions build collaborative capacity of sister-affiliated ministries in an effort sustain positive impact on beneficiaries.Capacity-Building ContextThe notion of building capacity within and in support of sisters' ministries links closely broader domain of capacity building in nonprofit sector. Nonprofit capacity building has been focus of extensive study, and numerous definitions have been offered for capacity building in literature (Light, 2004). McPhee and Bare (2001) define capacity building as the ability of nonprofit organizations fulfill their missions in an effective manner. Gronbjerg and Cheney (2007) note seven operationalized dimensions of capacity building articulated in literature: financial resources, marketing, networking and advocacy, information technology, human resources, planning and programs, and operations and governance. At its core, capacity building essentially involves ability to secure outside resources and attain scale (Glickman & Servon, 1998, p. 502).In terms of strategies address capacity building, De Vita, Fleming, and Twombly (2001) propose three main types of activities: 1) assessment inside and outside of organization; 2) interventions using management consultation, training, and/or technical assistance; and 3) direct financial support for core operating support, specific grants, and working capital. Yet others have suggested that capacity building should go beyond finding ways increase nonprofits' financial-resource base include such things as developing a broad vision and assessing how organization can meet community's needs (Boris, 2001). Overall, nonprofit capacity-building literature provides good conceptual definitions and some guidance on identifying strategies and models for building nonprofit capacity (Fischer, 2004). …

Building Collaborative Capacity for Using and Evaluating the Impact of E-learning in Social Work Education: The Case of Law

This article reports on a learning set designed to support educators teaching law to social work students in England to build their capacity, first, for engaging with e-learning resources and, second, for evaluating the outcomes of their use in teaching. A mixed methods approach was used, including recording and transcription of the content of seven learning set meetings with eight participants over 2½ years, repeat measures questionnaires to capture changes in attitudes and orientation to the use of e-learning, reflective diaries, and individual interviews with learning set members. The findings demonstrate increased self-perceived capacity in blending e-learning into teaching and in researching the outcomes. The learning set enabled e-learning to become embedded in the curriculum progressively over two years. Participation was experienced as a constructive and empowering experience. There were positive changes in attitudes, motivators and barriers to the use of e-learning, and in orientation to the use of IT resulting in improved confidence. Similarly, understanding of, and the ability to apply, evaluation techniques to track changes in student learning improved throughout the project, confirming the collaborative capacity building value of the learning set approach. The findings have broad relevance for social work education beyond the teaching of law.

Collaborative Capacity Building in Complex Community-Based Health Partnerships

Partnerships among multiple organizations across a range of sectors that bring together multiple perspectives are a common way of addressing community health and building capacity. To function successfully, partnerships depend on the careful orchestration of a collaborative culture and the facilitation of collective action. Using a systematic method, we developed a synthesis of evidence about collaborative capacity building, integrating this diverse knowledge base into a usable framework. Seventeen published models of collaborative capacity building met the inclusion criteria and were combined to derive a matrix that could guide the actions of those responsible for partnership management. This matrix may make the process of developing partnerships less complicated in future.

Implementing integrated rural tourism: An event-based approach

In the past two decades, community involvement in local policy-making has gained increasing attention as an alternative approach to rural development in the European Union (EU), particularly in the context of the complementary sectors of agriculture such as tourism. Although there is a wide range of integrated approaches to tourism development in rural areas identified in the literature, the event-based approach has not been at the centre of attention so far. This paper aims to fill this gap and reports on the collaborative capacity building of the LEADER 1 1 A French acronym derived from ‘Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l’Économie Rurale’, meaning ‘Links between the rural economy and development actions’. Local Action Groups (LAGs) for rural tourism promotion in the context of an innovative, national-level event, the ‘Hungarian Rural Tourism Days’. A mixed-method approach was applied to explore and compare the supply-side views on the successes and failures of the event planning and organisation process and to derive key success factors of the event-based approach to Integrated Rural Tourism (IRT). The results provided evidence on the consequences of the failure to integrate local concerns into the event organisation process and highlighted the critical role of the intermediary management in establishing trust relationships with the rural service providers. Furthermore, it is argued that the major challenge of the event-based approach to IRT rests in the capacity of the stakeholders to collectively plan and implement a marketing strategy at the local level.

Global Health Research Needs Global Networking

To meet the challenges arising from global environmental change on human health, co-developing common approaches and new alliances of science and society are necessary. The first steps towards defining cross-cutting, health-environment issues were developed by the Global Environmental Change and Human Health (GECHH) project of the Earth System Sciences Partnership (ESSP). ESSP plays an important role in stimulating and communicating important scientific and policy relevant findings in science policy dialogues and facilitates collaborative research and capacity building. There are wide opportunities for the GECHH project to collaborate within the ESSP network, its parent Programmas, Core and Joint Projects and also with its associated networks of global and regional environmental change.