Achieving collective impact through interdisciplinary, interagency and other diverse partnerships

The roots of violence are complex and are represented across the socio-ecological spectrum. While law enforcement is typically the agency tasked with addressing violence, it is clear that many departments and agencies of local government have influence over the determinants of violence. This paper presents research conducted with CDC funded UNITY initiative cities to identify roles non-law enforcement agencies –i.e. public health, housing, public works, education, and transportation – can play to mitigate determinants of violence through reducing risk and enhancing resilience factors.

Employing a structured interview research method, this study investigates how sectors of local government whose primary mission is not to prevent youth violence, contribute to preventing youth violence. The research team aggregated a typical local government directory of agencies and departments into sixty-three discrete departments and agencies and then clustered these into eight sectors. Applying structured interviews as well as a review of literature, specific roles and activities that the various sectors could contribute to reducing violence were identified.

Results show that many sectors, whose stated missions do not include youth violence prevention, indeed contribute through addressing risk and enhancing resilience across socio-ecological domains. Further, violence prevention efforts' effectiveness is enhanced when opportunities for cross sector/department collaboration are enabled.

Sectors can enhance local efforts to reduce violence by understanding how they can impact broader initiatives to reduce risk and increase resilience. Moreover, the processes and structures of local youth violence prevention efforts are highly contextual given differences in leadership, partners, formality of partnerships, staffing, and funding.