Cross-sectoral collaboration in municipal or regional organisation is essential for establishing the organisational framework for your AoP programme. This is because AoP programmes include stakeholders and personnel from various sectors such as health, culture, social & welfare, youth and/or elderly administrative sectors.
The involvement of these diverse sectors depends on the different target audiences included in the local programme and/or the strategies and policy areas the local AoP programme support.
A cross-sectoral collaboration is also necessary to advance a systems thinking approach as opposed to a fragmented approach. A systems thinking approach recognises the organisational complexity of municipalities and regions, which consists of different administrative sectors with their own fields of interest and expertise. It also acknowledges the need to bridge these differences, to establish a successful interdisciplinary collaboration where all sectors in the municipality or region are equally important.
Photo: Lelde Goba
Cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary collaboration brings together multiple stakeholders with different perspectives, logics, motivational factors, and practices which can help to break down this complexity. Therefore, it is fundamental to focus on cross-sectoral collaboration in the piloting and establishing phase of the AoP programmes, as it takes time to foster collaboration and create synergies, pool resources, and to develop a shared understanding of how AoP programmes influence, benefit, and can be integrated into the different sectors.
One of the most important aspects of cross-sectoral collaboration is ensuring that all sectors agree on the aims of the AoP programme. Different sectors may have varying objectives; for instance, the social welfare sector might focus on helping people return to the workforce, while the health sector may prioritize improving participants’ mental wellbeing. Meanwhile, the culture sector could view the programme as an opportunity to engage with new cultural audiences.
“It took a lot of time to create a cross-sectoral collaboration between the health and culture sector, as we had to find the right health professionals, who we considered would be beneficial in referring participants to the programme and for future implementation” Norrbotten Pilot programme.
Additionally, cross-sectoral collaboration can be beneficial in discovering and seeking funding opportunities for AoP programmes. Read more on establishing funding for AoP programmes here.
To establish cross-sectoral collaborations it is important to determine which administrations or departments within or outside the municipality should be invited to set up the organisational framework.
