Developing a model to enhance the capacity of statutory organisations to engage with lay communities

OBJECTIVE: To understand the processes that constrain the capacity of statutory organisations to work effectively with lay communities and to develop a model to enhance their capacity to do so. METHODS: The research consisted of three elements: a review of relevant literature; in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of people who had recently been involved in community-statutory sector partnership; and a deliberative workshop involving ten expert witnesses, selected to reflect a range of sectors and levels within organisations. RESULTS: Many factors contribute to a lack of effective strategic partnerships between lay communities and statutory organisations. These factors fall into five domains: the community's capacity to engage; the skills and competencies of organisational staff; the dominant professional service culture; the overall organisational ethos and culture; and the dynamics of the local and national political systems. A model of the relationships and/or interaction between these domains is postulated. There is potential for testing this model with statutory organisations to see whether it concurs with their reality and whether it is enhancing their organisational capacity. CONCLUSIONS: Commonly occurring constraints to effective partnerships between statutory organisations and lay communities need to be identified and addressed by applying a dynamic model of the type presented here.