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Topic Editor: Carl Corter, PhD, University of Toronto, Canada
In order for programs to be efficacious (i.e., capable of producing expected results) and part of a cohesive system, some important aspects should be applied and taken into account. First, community members need to develop common goals to guide their partnership activities. Second, given that collaborations across agencies provide the best results, service providers should not work independently but rather try to establish collaborative relationships with other community organizations (e.g., by sharing information). This will help public and professional services to be more consistent. Similarly, providers from different sectors (education, health, nutrition, family support, etc.) must be able to refer children and their parents to services outside their professional purview. Consequently, they also need to coordinate with other service providers when serving the same child and family. Lastly, service providers should keep in mind that making the services available to family is not sufficient. Specifically, services also need to be affordable, accessible, and active in outreach in order for families to be aware of and to benefit from these services. Some families may lack resources or face social/economic circumstances preventing them to benefit from these services. Therefore, the coordination between services and the development of strategies to reduce barriers to access services are two important aspects to privilege before implementing a program. Evaluation of implementation and continuous monitoring of outreach need to be built in. Finally, integration at the community level requires system support in the form of program and policy support from different levels of government.
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