COPYRIGHT NOTICE FedUni ResearchOnline http://researchonline.federation.edu.au This is the published version of: Finch, C., et al. (2016) The evolution of multiagency partnerships for safety over the course of research engagement: Experiences from the NoGAPS project. Injury Prevention, 22(6), 386-391. Available online at http://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041922 Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by- nc/4.0/), which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is cited and the use is non- commercial. Commercial use is not permitted. Original article The evolution of multiagency partnerships for safety over the course of research engagement: experiences from the NoGAPS project Caroline F Finch,1 Alex Donaldson,1 Belinda J Gabbe,2 Akram Muhammad,1 Anna Wong Shee,1 David G Lloyd,3,4 Jill Cook1,5 ▸ Additional material is ABSTRACT researchers and stakeholders, including government published online only. To view Objective Implementation of effective population-level departments and non-government agencies, are please visit the journal online injury prevention interventions requires broad necessary to positively impact on public health and (http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ 5–9 injuryprev-2015-041922). multiagency partnerships. Different stakeholders address injury issues. Multilevel approaches are particu- 1 this from varying perspectives, and potential conflicts in larly important when designing and implementing Australian Centre for Research 10 into Injury in Sport and its priorities need to be addressed for such partnerships to prevention strategies, including those for injury 3911 Prevention (ACRISP), SMB be effective. The researcher-led National Guidance for prevention. Partnerships need to be sustained Campus, Federation University Australian football Partnerships and Safety (NoGAPS) to ensure long-term injury prevention gains.12 Australia, Ballarat, Victoria, project involved the engagement and participation of However, research into which features of partner- Australia 2School of Public Health and seven non-academic partners, including government ships are most likely to achieve sustainability is Preventive Medicine, Monash health promotion and safety agencies; peak sports scarce. In sports injury prevention, for example, University, Melbourne, Victoria, professional and advocacy bodies and health insurance fewer than 4% of studies describing the efficacy/ Australia 3 organisations. effectiveness of exercise training programmes have Centre for Musculoskeletal Design The partnership’s ongoing development was considered programme maintenance factors.13 Research, Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, assessed by each partner completing the Victorian The ability of any partnership to operate effect- Gold Coast Campus, Gold Health Promotion Foundation Partnership Analysis Tool ively and meet defined targets depends on the Coast, Queensland, Australia (VPAT) annually over 2011–2015. Changes in VPAT ‘extent to which the perspectives, resources, and 4 School of Sport Science, scores were compared through repeated measures skills of its participating individuals and organisa- Exercise and Health, University analysis of variance. tions contribute to and strengthen the work of the of Western Australia, Crawley, 14 Australia Results Overall, mean total VPAT scores increased group’ (p. 187). Partnerships addressing public 5La Trobe Sport and Exercise significantly over the 5-year period (125.1–141.2; health problems can be difficult to sustain,5 particu- Medicine Research Centre, La F5,30=4.61, p=0.003), showing a significant larly when varying stakeholder perspectives, with Trobe University, Melbourne, improvement in how the partnership was functioning potentially conflicting priorities, exist.15 Measuring Australia over time. This was largely driven by significant increases the performance of partnerships is critical to deter- Correspondence to in several VPAT domains: ‘determining the need for a mine whether a partnership approach is working 16 Professor Caroline Finch, partnership’ (F5,30=4.15, p=0.006), ‘making sure the and achieving desired outcomes. Although evalu- Australian Centre for Research partnership works’ (F5,30=2.59, p=0.046), ‘planning ation of a partnership can involve an assessment of into Injury in Sport and its 17 collaborative action’ (F5,30=5.13, p=0.002) and whether key targets have been reached, for some Prevention (ACRISP), SMB ‘ ’ Campus, Federation University minimising the barriers to the partnership (F5,30=6.66, partnerships those targets might only be realised in Australia, P. O. Box 663, p<0.001). the long term. Most partnership evaluation Ballarat, VIC 3353, Australia; Conclusion This is the first study to assess the research has examined the ability of the partnership fi c. [email protected] functioning of a multiagency partnership to address to function as an entity.514Important factors for Received 1 December 2015 sport injury prevention implementation. For NoGAPS, the partnership effectiveness include active participa- Revised 9 February 2016 engagement of stakeholders from the outset facilitated tion of members, member diversity, collaboration Accepted 11 February 2016 the development of new and/or stronger links between among member agencies, trust and respect between Published Online First non-academic partners. Partners shared the common partners and having clear procedures for managing 25 March 2016 goal of ensuring the real-world uptake of interventions conflict and power differentials.51618An effective and research evidence-informed recommendations. partnership evaluation can provide accountability Effective multiagency partnerships have the potential to to stakeholders and support the continuous influence the implementation of policies and practices improvement of the collaborations.19 beyond the life of a research project. Several challenges to evaluating partnership pro- gress exist, including attributing successful outcomes to partnership arrangements and determining INTRODUCTION whether observed benefits outweigh the costs of Implementation of effective solutions to partnership. The Partnership Continuum20 is useful population-level health and safety issues requires a for conceptualising different levels of a partnership broad multiagency approach,12especially if inter- and provides a framework for evaluating health pro- ventions are to be sustained as ongoing practice.3 motion partnerships.1 It can be used to guide the The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines a identification of needs of partnership members ‘ To cite: Finch CF, partnership as a collaborative relationship between along an engagement continuum that ranges from Donaldson A, Gabbe BJ, two or more parties based on trust, equality, and informal networking through to formal collabor- et al. Inj Prev 2016;22:386– mutual understanding for the achievement of a spe- ation, with the latter representing the deepest level 391. cified goal’ (p. 1).4 Partnerships between of engagement and synergy. 386 Finch CF, et al. Inj Prev 2016;22:386–391. doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041922 Original article Table 1 The National Guidance for Australian football Partnerships and Safety (NoGAPS) project partner organisations, their role in sports injury prevention and specific interest in Australian football Role in general sport injury prevention and/or participation Partner organisation promotion Specific role/interest in AF AFL – The national non-government peak sports body responsible for the setting and delivery of safety rules, policies and practices at all levels of the sport. VicHealth A statutory health promotion body that encourages, facilitates and Given the sport is one of the major participation sports in Victoria, it supports sustained participation in sport/physical activities, including invests funding in increasing/maintaining participation in community-AF through the removal of barriers to participation, such as injury. and also supports AF clubs to provide healthy and welcoming environments for physical activity. SRV A state government department responsible for providing strategic Provides direct funding to community-AF clubs/regions for participation leadership, funding and support to the sport and recreation industry to initiatives, safety programme delivery and administration. Also provides provide safe sports participation opportunities across all sports, funding to bodies such as Sports Medicine Australia National and improve facilities and increase community participation in sport and Victorian Branches for the development and dissemination of sports active recreation. safety resources, including to all those involved in community-AF. New South Wales A not-for-profit statutory state government organisation that provides – Sporting Injuries insurance coverage for serious injuries and promotes injury prevention Committee and safe sports practices at a state level, across a range of sports. Jardine Lloyd Thompson A national sports insurance broker agency, providing insurance cover Provides sports injury insurance coverage to all AF clubs and registered Sport for many sports nationally. It has invested significantly in risk participants Australia-wide. Has developed, and promotes, risk management approaches for sports safety to reduce the cost of management resources and safety