Understanding the effectiveness of partnership-based early childhood interventions

In this paper, we seek to understand the relationship between partnership effectiveness and preschool enrolment in Best Start, an early childhood intervention for children living in disadvantaged areas in Victoria, an Australian State. We will examine the application of theories of partnership effectiveness at a whole of intervention level and in the context of local evaluation initiatives at the Broadmeadows Early Years Partnership. For the statewide intervention, partnership effectiveness was measured using the VicHealth Partnership Analysis Tool at 11 Best Start Sites. The dependent variable was preschool enrolment in Best Start local government area. For the Broadmeadows Early Years Partnership case study, partnership is conceptualised in terms of the Lasker and Weiss (2003) model of collaborative decision making. Scores rose significantly between the two applications of the VicHealth Partnership Analysis Tool at the beginning and end of the Best Start funding period on almost all of the dimensions of the VicHealth Tool. Support for ‘making partnerships work’, ‘minimising barriers to partnerships’ and the ‘total’ partnership scores were associated with increased preschool enrolments. The results of the case study supported the model for collaborative decision making with particular emphasis on the role of shared leadership, synergy and bridging social ties as crucial processes in improving service integration. The results of the statewide intervention and the case study both provide evidence of the value of partnership approaches in improving service uptake and integration for children living in disadvantaged areas. The study also supports current conceptualisations of partnership value and effectiveness.