Lessons Learned Tips on Program Integration at the Agency and Community
- An important aspect of program development involves integrating programs in order to leverage existing capacity and resources to develop new programs, or more often, modify existing programs to better suit client and community needs. This involves physical integration, program integration and community integration.
An important aspect of program development involves integrating programs in order to leverage existing capacity and resources to develop new programs, or more often, modify existing programs to better suit client and community needs. This involves physical integration, program integration and community integration.
Integration leverages capacity within programs, allowing for specialization, increased access and the ability to better tailor programs to specific needs and circumstances. In short, integration leads to cost efficiencies, allowing service providers to do more with less.
Physical integration: When modifying existing programs, or designing new initiatives, physical integration makes it easy to combine the expertise of a variety of program staff, each with their own areas of expertise and perspectives.
Program integration: Streamline referral and intake procedures, increase accessibility, dovetail curriculum and allow participants to move seamlessly between interventions.
Community integration: This involves developing partnerships with a diverse range of local stakeholders, and becoming involved in a variety of activities and issues. This networking and partnership building is very seldom funded, but is very important to program development. These networks allow agencies to learn from partners and better understand the inter-related array of challenges faced by disadvantaged communities.
For more information about partnership formation, click here
