Welfare Reform on the Web (August 2010): Services for the disabled - overseas

Cross-ministerial collaboration related to paediatric rehabilitation for children with disabilities and their families in one Canadian province

L. Wiart and others

Health and Social Care in the Community, vol. 18, 2010, p. 378-388

During the last two decades, paediatric rehabilitation services for children with disabilities have shifted from clinical settings into communities and have expanded beyond health into a variety of service sectors. The involvement of different service sectors (e.g. health, education and social services) and an array of models of care (e.g. acute care, home care, education-based services and specialised tertiary care) make the delivery of paediatric rehabilitation services complex. Navigating these complex service delivery systems is stressful for families, and cross-sectoral collaboration to improve continuity of care is viewed as ideal. This research explored how ministerial cultures, processes and structures influence inter-ministerial collaboration for the purposes of enhancing continuity of care in a Western Canadian province. Fundamental ideological and structural differences were apparent across the three ministries that affected ease of inter-ministerial collaboration.