Partnership Working

To support the improvement and performance across partnerships the Home Office has developed the ‘Hallmarks of Effective Partnerships.’ They are intended to summarise the core elements of effective partnership working, and provide a way for partnerships to check if they are delivering effectively or if there are areas where they should target improvements.

These hallmarks are as follows: -

1. Empowered & effective leadership
This hallmark is about ensuring the right people are involved and there are effective governance structures in place to provide strategic leadership. It specifies the requirement for a Strategic Group, who will be responsible for the delivery of a partnership plan.  It also specifies that all statutory authorities should be represented in the group and that a chair must be elected.

2. Intelligence-led business processes
This hallmark discusses the need to have a process for sharing information already held by partners and to undertake an annual Strategic Assessment, using the information of the issues affecting Community Safety Partnerships and decisions about local priorities.

3. Effective & responsive delivery structures
This hallmark covers effective structures at all levels of the partnership and ensures that they are fit for purpose. This includes designated officers for information sharing, how the Partnership Plan should be delivered and how it should be publicised.

4. Engaged communities
This hallmark covers the need to engage with communities on priorities and outcomes, including holding at least one open meeting per year, taking into account public consultation when deciding priorities and how the public can be part of the delivery process.

5. Visible and constructive accountability
This hallmark discusses how an effective partnership should be visible and accountable to its community for the decisions and actions it takes.  This includes taking all reasonable steps to make sure the public, especially minority groups and those most likely to be affected, are aware of the priorities and Partnership Plan.

6. Appropriate skills and knowledge
This hallmark specifies that those involved in partnership have the capacity and the capability at the right level to successfully deliver priorities. There should be clarity over membership and a clear understanding amongst all partners of the purpose and aims of the partnership. The Partnership should also consider yearly whether the group has the skills necessary to deliver the Partnership Plan.