Philosophical Statements: Interagency Partnerships


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PROGRAMS AND SERVICES MANUAL
POLICY
PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENTS: INTERAGENCY
PARTNERSHIPS


The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) plays its part in providing leadership in the fight against AIDS in the Toronto region by working cooperatively with other agencies, sharing experience and resources, and ensuring that needs are addressed in appropriate, sensitive and efficient ways (ACT Mission and Values).

ACT has worked very hard to address other agencies' concerns about our services and what has been spoken of as our "attitude" as the largest AIDS service organization (ASO) in Canada. These efforts have fostered a new climate of collaboration and cooperation that we can build on. This greater willingness to work in partnership will be intensified as that approach is recognized by more and more threatened agencies (including us) as the key, not just to survival, but to better and more effective service delivery.

We are one of the few ASOs with a mandate to provide a broad spectrum of services to both the infected and the affected. Relationships need to be fostered with care - externally between ACT and other ASOs, other community agencies, the funders and the communities we serve.

We recognize AIDS affects a broad spectrum of the population comprising a number of different ethnic, racial, sexual, gender, religious and cultural communities. It is obvious that we cannot provide the same quantity or quality of service to all people; nor do we need to. As the face of AIDS has changed, so has the response. Toronto now has agencies providing targeted services to specific communities.

So where does ACT fit in? In this environment, how do we continue to live up to our responsibility to provide services to all people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS?

The answer is clear: through more and stronger partnerships with other ASOs and service providers. Recognizing that if we can't always provide direct service, we must work with others to ensure that someone can.

ACT collaborates with other ASOs and service providers. Here, other agencies clearly take the lead in offering services to specific communities. We are committed to providing appropriate support to ASOs and other service providers. Our goal is to improve levels of service by sharing and strengthening existing resources, both here and at other agencies, through innovative, service-enhancing and cost-effective partnerships. (The above are all excerpts from the 1996-97 Strategic Plan.)


It is important to make a distinction between a service relationship with another agency (see Service Relationships, PS # 1-40) and a partnership. ACT makes available a number of its services to other agencies and ACT also seeks services of other agencies. A partnership is larger than a service relationship; it is longer term and reflects a collaborative, equitable approach to work on common issues.

Partnerships are a challenge to ACT. Like other larger organizations in terms of human resources and funding, ACT is better resourced, generally speaking, than many of the organizations we work with. This creates a challenge in terms of power balances. ACT is committed to participation without trying to take control of the partnership process.

ACT is committed to building and strengthening partnerships with other AIDS service organizations and service providers. We are open to exploring and implementing innovative, service-enhancing and cost-effective relationships of various kinds and degrees, that will allow us to continue to deliver services in accordance with our Mission and Values (1996-97 Strategic Plan).