A framework for the development of community health agency partnerships

The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to generate substantive theory regarding the development of effective partnerships among community agencies working with vulnerable populations. Ethnographic interviews were conducted and analyzed by applying the constant comparative method of qualitative analysis. This information was supplemented with data from the participants in two workshops, three manuscript reviewers, and relevant literature. Analysis of the data resulted in the emergence of a framework that outlines elements of partnerships. This framework furnishes the foundation for discussions of partnership configuration and partnership development. The results of this study provide basic guidelines for the formation of effective partnerships, and show that there is no single way to develop and structure such collaborative initiatives. Further studies are required in other substantive areas to advance the emergence of a formal theory of partnerships.