Repairing the Holes in the Net: Using Communities of Practice to Strengthen Collaboration

Transcription

1 Repairing the Holes in the Net: Using Communities of Practice to Strengthen Collaboration Judie Bopp, Ph.D. Director, Four Worlds Centre for Development Learning Nancy Poole, Director of Research & Knowledge Translation BC Centre of Excellence for Women s COLLABORATION AND COMPLEXITY: SEEKING OUT NEW FORMS OF LIFE Canadian Collaborative Mental Care Conference Montreal, June 27-28, 2013

2 REPAIRING THE HOLES IN THE NET: RESPONDING TO THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF NORTHERN HOMELESS WOMEN Pan-territorial, multi-year health systems improvement research project Funded by Canadian Institutes for Research and the Mental Commission of Canada Employing a multilevel participatory action research approach in order to inform the development of culturally appropriate and gender-specific services for northern women experiencing mental health/addictions concerns and homelessness

3 COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE: A key strategy for accommodating complexity and fostering collaboration Repairing the Holes in the Net chose the formation of a community of practice in the capital cities of each of Canada s 3 northern territories: Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit as a primary intervention research strategy. Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis. (Wenger, E. R. McDermott, and WM Snyder, Cultivating Communities of Practice, Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002)

4 FEATURES OF A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE APPROACH Membership in a CoP is voluntary Members of CoPs are there as engaged professionals, not as representatives of their agencies CoPs are usually deliberately facilitated CoPs pay close attention to relationships A key dynamic is learning CoPs are geared to stimulating change CoPs are not formal decision-making bodies There are no recipes for CoP sessions CoPs can meet face to face, virtually or some combination of both

5 COPS: Creating a collaborative learning space Compared with formal groups created within organizations whose structure, tasks, and identity are established through functional lines and status hierarchies, communities of practice hinge on the fact that they can and do transcend boundaries of departments, organizations, locations and seniority. It is crucial to the whole idea of communities of practice that they come into existence through the need to collaborate with those who face similar problems or issues for which new knowledge is required. ( Communities of practice: a research paradigm for the mixed methods approach, in Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 2(3), 2008:276)

6 Learn from the knowledge & experience of others Share our knowledge & experience Re-confirm common purpose Improved services for northern women with mental health/addiction issues who are homeless or at-risk of home-lessness Reflect together about what this means for our practice Consult about the small steps we (individually or collectively) could take Plan for the next learning goals

7 ACCOMMODATING COMPLEXITY: When there are no easy answers The challenges facing homeless and at-risk women with mental health issues are part of a tangled web of determinants: - intergenerational trauma - poverty - family violence - other kinds of victimization - addictions - a pervasive climate of stereotyping and discrimination - a lack of supportive relationships - an absolute lack of affordable and appropriate housing - support services that may be inadequate or culturally unsafe

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9 FOSTERING COLLABORATION: When finding solutions requires the involvement of many agencies and individuals Yukon map of services used by homeless and at-risk women with mental health/addictions challenges Parenting y Families SJFC Tradition al Parenting CPNP (VFWC, KDFN, SJFC L AFY) Whole Child Counseling Services Many Rivers Options for Independe nce MHS Assisted Private Housing KDFN Housing Services Grey Mountai n Housing Whitehors e Housing Adult Residenti al Services Medical MD s Canada Crisis Counseling KD Housing Church Housing K.D. Centre Detox YG Insured Benefits Blood Ties CAIRS Drop-in Steve Cardiff House Canada IRSMHSP Kaushee s Second Stage Support Services SOS Canada NIHB (drugs) WCC Detenti on Centre Hospital Outreach Van VFWC French Mental Services KDFN Private Market (Rent Support) Campgrou nd Skookum Jim FC Hotels Mental Services Care Providers Private Counselin g Services Homecar e for the Homeless Emergency Shelter CYFN NI Benefits Navigator Detox Kaushee s Elizabet h Fry VFWC Wednesd ay Lunch Couch Surfing ADS Kaushee s Transitiona l Services Salvatio n Army Youth Shelter SJFC SOS YCDC Ta an SOS Thursday Lunch Food Bank Kwanlin Dun Sally & Sisters Salvatio n Army Church Group Kitchens Food Securit y AAND C FASSY Outreac h A & SS SIL Workers VFWC Workers Women s Advocate Mental and Addictions Champag ne Aishihik H & SS Social Assistanc e KD Daily Living YG Victim Services Income Security ADS TX Violence Jackson Lake Addiction Treatment

10 LEARNING: a key dynamic for accommodating complexity and fostering collaboration For complex problems that require the participation of many partners, we have to learn our way into a solution; in other words, we have to make the path by walking it (Paulo Freire & Myles Horton).

11 Learning from relevant knowledge and experience from elsewhere Learning from the knowledge and experience of the members of the CoP Deliberative dialogue with facilitation support from the research team Learning from our collective & individual efforts to improve our practice Learning from research data interviews & focus groups with service users & providers

12 TRANSFORMING RELATIONSHIPS: a prerequisite for accommodating complexity and fostering collaboration Thinking Together Listening Together With a humble heart Seeing Together Talking Together

13 WHAT HAS HAPPENED? - The CoPs in all 3 territories have been meeting monthly for since May The membership includes people working in emergency services (e.g. RCMP, hospitals), government services such as addictions treatment, income support, child protection services, mental health services, justice), and services operated by the voluntary sector (such as women s shelters, mental health counselling, emergency shelter and food banks) and social housing departments/agencies - Membership includes key decision makers (CEOs, program heads), policy analysts, and frontline service providers - Respectful and solution-oriented dialogue has characterized the meetings - Each territory is gradually coming to consensus about a small, doable step that they can take which has the potential to make a significant difference

14 IQALUIT: Finding something that will make a difference 1. Strengthening wellness programming for homeless and at-risk women that blends what has been learned about trauma-informed practice with traditional Inuit knowledge 2. Creating opportunities for service providers working in both government and non-government agencies to enhance their capacity to work in a trauma-informed way 3. Identifying policy opportunities to strengthen the provision of services that conform with the principles and features of trauma-informed practice

15 YELLOWKNIFE: Finding something that will make a difference Create resources (e.g. learning materials, organizational checklists) and processes (e.g. community of practice, training, community awareness campaign) that will stimulate the integration of traumainformed best practice into both government and nongovernment services

16 WHITEHORSE: Finding something that will make a difference 1. Creating additional street-level services that operate evenings and weekends 2. Creating emergency shelter and housing services for women who cannot access existing VAW 3. Identifying incremental steps that build on existing government policy and program directions and on current political will