What is a Rubric?

The Rubric Partnership

The Collaboration Rubric

An action research approach to partnership building across community-based child and family networks

ACWA 14August 2014

Gail Winkworth & Michael White


[email protected] and [email protected]

What is a Rubric?

“The best of our collective and professional judgment

at this point in time in our small spot on the planet” (Griffin, 2009:13)



What is the Collaboration Rubric?a framework which describes how effective

partnerships are built and maintained.

a blend of the leading research in collaboration and of deep practical experience.



• four different types of partnerships and why they succeed or fail

• Clarity for administrators, CEOs and government funders about expectations and accountabilities.

• Answers the action research questions: “How is our collaboration going? What would it take to improve?”



ACT CYFSP ContextAustralia and Internationally• Massive growth contracted service delivery• Assumption – more creative with deep seated policy issues• Better able to implement system wide, place based and outcome focussed

approaches• Collaboration is at the heart of this

ACT• Partnerships between government funded agencies serving common clients

- key element of public sector service delivery reform. • ACT government efforts to do this- Child Youth and Family Services Program

- a significant example of public sector reform.



What the Networks did last year

In May and August 2013 four CYFSP Networks participated in a four staged process - to analyse the status of their partnerships and identify ways to improve these over time.

27 agencies and four regions

A year later (August 2014) this process is being repeated



The “What” and the “How” of Collaboration

WHAT types of partnerships?• Research- 4 functionally different forms of

collaboration. • These increase in complexity as the needs of

clients themselves become more complex.



ACT is here



How Partnerships Succeed of Fail

• (Mark) Moore identifies 3 key requirements for any public sector enterprise to succeed:

– an authorising environment, (8 factors in Rubric)– the capacity to deliver the outcome (5 factors in Rubric)– a strong agreement on the shared value of the

partnership. (5 factors in Rubric)



3 Drivers of Success



3 Drivers in the ACT Now

65%Authority

40% Shared Value

64%Capacity


The Action Learning Process


Stage 1Preparation

Service visits, Goal setting workshop with governance group and

training for all participants

Stage 2Online Survey completed by staff of all programs in Network

Stage 3Analysis & feedback

Survey results are collated and a report is generated

Stage 4 Action Planning

WorkshopWorkshops with key stakeholders to review results and plan for the future



The surveyResearch questions

1) How do managers and staff of programs in the CYFSP Networks think partnerships are going in the Networks?

2) What strategies do managers and staff in the CYFSP Networks think could improve the way partnerships are going in the Networks?

• 117 staff participated (55%)• 69% in jobs more than 12 months (85% more than 6 months)• Managers and senior executives 46%; front line 43%; team

leaders, 11% • All programs participated, (almost) all agencies participated



Boards of agencies support projects which involve collaboration (A10)

Agencies are willing to sacrifice some independence in order to create collaborative partnerships (A11)

Network actively seeks and responds to client views about design and quality of service (A13)

Senior Executives share leadership of innovative or reform projects (A5)

Network has professional development activities designed to promote collaborative practice (A12)

Agencies have a positive history of working together over the last 2 years (A8)

Funders support collaborative partnering between agencies in the Network (A14)

Agencies work within a policy framework that supports collaboration (A1)

Senior Executives participate in structured meetings to build partnerships (A2)

Senior Executives speak convincingly about the need to work with other agencies (A4)

Strong informal networks exist between staff (A7)

Staff believe that it is important to collaborate (A6)

Summary: Average across 12 items

0% 50% 100%

5%

14%

23%

9%

34%

17%

6%

11%

10%

8%

15%

6%

13%

49%

37%

24%

36%

9%

21%

26%

17%

16%

17%

6%

6%

22%

46%

49%

53%

55%

57%

63%

69%

72%

73%

75%

79%

88%

65%

Negative Neutral PositiveIn Detail - Authority



Agencies contribute funds for joint activities (C15)

Agencies identify service gaps and work together to address them through advocacy or other strategic approaches (C10)

Agencies have processes that allow information sharing about common clients (C12)

Service delivery is underpinned by a shared Practice Framework (C11)

The Network forms partnerships with Commonwealth, Territory and NGO providers beyond the CYFSP to address client needs (C13)

Agencies engage in joint professional development (C7)

Agencies try to improve the accessibility through co-locating, outservicingm, joint outreach visits etc (C8)

Staff attend regular, structured meetings to share information about agency practices (C6)

Staff know what services other agencies in the Network provide (C1)

Agencies share physical resources, e.g. meeting rooms (C4)

Staff provide direct lines of contact with each other, e.g. mobile phone numbers (C3)


0% 50% 100%

32%

31%

31%

21%

11%

31%

20%

29%

21%

16%

11%

23%

25%

19%

14%

16%

26%

6%

16%

5%

1%

5%

9%

13%

43%

50%

55%

62%

63%

63%

65%

66%

78%

79%

80%

64%

Negative Neutral Positive In Detail - Capacity



Agencies have agreed to share data as part of planning and reviewing the services delivered to common clients (SV5)

A governance group manages the arrangements that govern joint working relationships (SV7)

Network has formal, documented arrangements that govern joint working relationships (SV6)

Agencies have some shared ways of measuring successful client outcomes (SV4)

Network has agreed purpose statements which identify what the collaboration seeks to achieve (SV1)


0% 50% 100%

33%

25%

21%

27%

21%

25%

37%

40%

37%

28%

33%

35%

30%

36%

42%

44%

46%

40%

Negative Neutral Positive

In Detail – Shared Value



Strategies to improve partnerships

• The open ended questions (the comments) seek to answer the second research question:

What strategies do managers and staff think could improve the way partnerships are going in the Networks?

• Open-ended questions allow participants to answer on their own terms, and are useful for exploring new areas. In this case these answers will be helpful for the 2014 planning process.

• In all, 705 comments were received across the four Networks. A number of high-

level categories have been developed to assist in the analysis, and identify the practice implications of survey responses


5 key themes• Share and develop practice knowledge• Build Relationships• Keep up the momentum for partnerships• Improve accessibility of services for vulnerable

clients• Strengthen role of governance group at local level• Increase knowledge of client issues and

[email protected] and

[email protected]



Implications and way forward

• Foundations for effective collaborative work have been well established.

• However partnerships will need continued support and leadership if they are to go beyond the ‘Communication’ stage.

• There is a role for government in sustaining current achievements and in building what is needed for more complex levels of partnership.



Next Steps - Sustain

• Good communication and a developing trust as a foundation for future work.

• Senior executives “speak convincingly about the need to work with

other agencies" and who lead by example in participating “in structured meetings to build partnerships”

• Policy frameworks which support collaboration are in place and respondents to the survey believe that funders support collaborative partnering.

• Staff provide direct lines of contact with each other, that agencies

share basic physical resources such as meeting rooms and that staff know what services other agencies in the network provide.



Next Steps - Build

• Network Coordination• Practice Framework• Purpose and Outcomes• Align purpose with levels of partnering• Role of networks in reducing tertiary

involvement• Government provide critical place based data• Stronger focus on co design



•

References

References

• Huxham, C., & Vangen, S. (2005). Managing to Collaborate: The Theory and Practice of Collaborative Advantage. N.Y. Routledge.

• • Lloyd-Walker, B. & Walker, D. (2011) Authentic leadership for 21st century project delivery. International

Journal of Project Management 29 (2011) 383–395• • Moore, M. 1995. Creating Public Value: Strategic Management in Government. Cambridge, MA Harvard

University Press• • Moore, M. H. (2000). Managing for value: Organisational strategy in for profit, non profit governmental

organisations. Non Profit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 29, P. 196• • Scott, D. (2005). Inter-organisational collaboration in family-centred practice: A framework for analysis and

action. Australian Social Work, 58(2), 132-141.•

The Rubric Partnership Our website will be live next week

• White, M. & Winkworth, G. (2012) A Rubric for Building Effective Collaboration: Creating and

Sustaining Multi Service Partnerships to Improve Outcomes for Clients – Concepts Paper and Full Rubric, June, 2012 ISBN 978-0-9873564-0-6

• • Winkworth, G. & White, M. (2011) Australia’s Children Safe and Well? Collaborating with

Purpose Across Commonwealth Family relationship and State Child Protection Systems, Australian Journal of Public Administration, 70 (3)

• • Winkworth, G & White, M. (2010) May Do, Should Do, Can Do: Collaboration between

Commonwealth and State Service Systems for Vulnerable Children, Communities, Children & Families Australia, Vol 5, No. 1

• • Winkworth, G (2005) Partnering the 800 pound gorilla: Centrelink working locally to create

opportunities for participation Australian Journal of Public Administration, 64 (3)

Thank [email protected] and

[email protected]

What is a Rubric?

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