1.1 In July 2004, the then Minister, Ian Pearson, commissioned the Economic Policy Unit (EPU) to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the position in relation to partnerships in Northern Ireland and to submit a draft paper to Ministers to serve as a think piece and assist further detailed considerations. A full terms of reference is attached at Appendix One.
1.2 The Government of Northern Ireland is committed to pursuing a partnership approach1 in the development of policies and the delivery of services. That commitment has been reflected in both the devolved and direct rule administrations and will underpin the modernisation of the public sector in Northern Ireland as outlined in both the Review of Public Administration and Fit for Purpose.
1.3 Government's commitment to multi-sectoral collaboration recognises that there is an accelerating trend in both the public and private sector towards partnership working. Both trends are related and are reflective of a rapidly changing and increasingly complex, interconnected operational environment.
1.4 As such, the growth of partnership working in the private sector may be seen in part as a response to the challenges and opportunities presented by globalisation and specialisation. Similarly, the proliferation of the partnership approach in the public sector is essentially an acknowledgment that
"in a world of increasing change and growing interdependencies, some of the most difficult social challenges cannot be addressed by a single strand of government"2
1.5 Partnership working is a potentially powerful tool and may often be the only way to address some of the most challenging social and economic issues facing government. However, it is equally important to acknowledge that the partnership approach is not without risks. Building and sustaining effective partnerships is difficult, time consuming and often expensive.
1.6 Pursuit of the partnership approach, therefore, presents the public sector with a series of challenges as well as opportunities. Those who wish to take forward the partnership approach must understand and address the risks and challenges involved if they are to take advantage of the real opportunities presented.
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1 Partnership approach covers a wide range of relations from informal networking to formal established partnerships. Adopting a partnership approach therefore does not require the establishment of a formal partnership. This issue is considered in section 2 of this paper.
2 Frye and Webb, Effective Partnership Working, HM Treasury, April 2002