Examining Cross-sector Collaboration to Support Implementation of the Ontario Public Health Standards – School Health Standard Guideline

In Canada and beyond, schools have been an ideal setting to promote the health of children and youth, and the Comprehensive School Health approach has been an evidence-based way to engage in this work with a demonstrated return on investment. Ontario has established commitment to the Comprehensive School Health approach through provincial level policy, such as the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS). Through the OPHS School Health Standard, Public Health Units (PHUs) in Ontario are directed to work in partnership and collaboration with school boards and schools to develop a Comprehensive School Health promotion approach to promote the health of children and youth. Literature has identified that collaboration between the health and education sectors is an important facilitator of the Comprehensive School Health approach and related policy direction. Through a qualitative descriptive study this thesis project sought to examine the structures, practices, mechanisms, as well as facilitators and barriers to partnership and collaboration between Ontario PHUs and school boards. The Health in All Policies (HiAP) model was used to guide data collection and analysis. Data were collected from 13 PHUs through an electronic survey and document collection. Findings identified different provincial level policies that facilitate collaboration between PHUs and school boards (e.g. OPHS, PPMs); however, a barrier noted was the lack of one consistent or overarching provincial policy across the health and education sectors that supports or facilitates collaboration. At the local level, PHUs and school boards declare and demonstrate their partnership commitments in a variety of ways, from formal practices such as the development of partnership declarations and committees, to informal practices such as verbal agreements and ad hoc consultations. PHUs dedicate resources to collaboration with school boards which is dependent on PHU funding and capacity. A critical resource identified was human resources, with the School Health Manager and Public Health Nurses identified as two important roles that champion and facilitate collaborative practices with school boards and schools. To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of partnership and collaboration, PHUs and school boards engage in a variety of informal and formal practices, such as the provision of ongoing feedback, to monitoring collective key performance indicators.

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