Ayton Darshini, Carey Gemma, Joss Nerida, Keleher Helen, Smith Ben
Department of Health Social Science, Monash University, Caulfield East, Australia.
Aust J Prim Health. 2012;18(2):148-57. doi: 10.1071/PY11016.
Health promotion professionals often work with community organisations and voluntary associations, including churches and church-affiliated organisations, to reduce health inequities within communities. How voluntary and church-affiliated organisations form intersectoral relationships and partnerships, and the challenges they face in doing so, has been well researched. However, there is a need to investigate further the extent to which local churches collaborate or form partnerships with other actors, such as government, peak bodies and welfare organisations. This paper reports a Victorian-based mapping exercise of partnerships and funding involving document analysis of the annual reports from 126 organisations and 35 interviews conducted with church-affiliated organisations and local churches. The discussion begins with the exploration of the nature of, and the reason why churches partner with other sectors. The paper also examines funding sources and partnership pathways that churches access to undertake the activities and programs they conduct. Interview themes highlight the value to churches of the sharing of expertise and resources, the provision of support to communities, a shared ethos of social justice and the empowerment of vulnerable populations. The findings about the extent to which local churches are involved in partnerships across society, and the extent of public and private funds they draw on to provide resources and assistance to local communities, indicate that churches are now a key player not just in welfare provision but also in health promotion activities. The findings contribute to the understanding of church activities in relation to health promotion and will assist organisations who may be potential partners to consider their collaborative efforts in the health promotion field.
健康促进专业人员经常与社区组织和志愿协会合作，包括教会及与教会有关联的组织，以减少社区内的健康不平等现象。志愿组织和与教会有关联的组织如何形成部门间关系和伙伴关系，以及它们在这样做时所面临的挑战，已经得到了充分的研究。然而，有必要进一步调查当地教会与其他行为体（如政府、行业顶尖机构和福利组织）合作或建立伙伴关系的程度。本文报告了一项基于维多利亚州的伙伴关系和资金映射活动，其中包括对126个组织的年度报告进行文件分析，以及对与教会有关联的组织和当地教会进行的35次访谈。讨论首先探讨教会与其他部门建立伙伴关系的性质和原因。本文还研究了教会开展其活动和项目所采用的资金来源和伙伴关系途径。访谈主题突出了专业知识和资源共享对教会的价值、对社区的支持、社会正义的共同理念以及对弱势群体的赋权。关于当地教会参与社会伙伴关系的程度，以及它们为向当地社区提供资源和援助而动用的公共和私人资金的程度的研究结果表明，教会现在不仅在福利提供方面，而且在健康促进活动中都是关键参与者。这些研究结果有助于理解教会在健康促进方面的活动，并将帮助可能成为潜在伙伴的组织考虑它们在健康促进领域的合作努力。
