A mixed-method exploration of functioning in Safe Schools/Healthy Students partnerships

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Health
• Program Evaluation

Background:

• The Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative aims to foster collaboration between education and health sectors.
• Measuring the functioning of these complex partnerships is crucial for understanding their effectiveness and identifying areas for improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a mixed-method approach for assessing the functioning of SS/HS partnerships.
• To identify key themes differentiating highly functional partnerships from less functional ones.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to collect partner perceptions of partnership functioning.
• Quantitative data (average functioning scores) ranked sites.
• Qualitative data from top and bottom 10% of sites were analyzed using grounded theory.

Main Results:

• Six emergent themes distinguished high-functioning from low-functioning partnerships: partner engagement, facilitators, barriers, shared decision making, partnership structure, and sustainability.
• Highly functional partnerships effectively utilized collaboration processes like shared decision making and clear structures.
• Qualitative themes provided evidence for the validity of the partnership functioning scale.

Conclusions:

• Partnership functioning in initiatives like SS/HS is influenced by specific collaborative processes and structural elements.
• Shared decision-making, effective communication, and a defined structure are critical for successful coalition building and partnership effectiveness.
• The findings offer insights into optimizing partnership dynamics for improved outcomes in school-based health initiatives.