Bridging Gaps in Collaboration Between Community Organizations and Hospital-Based Violence Treatment Centers Serving Transgender Sexual Assault Survivors

Abstract

Community and healthcare organizations have not historically collaborated effectively, leaving gaps in the continuum of care for survivors of sexual assault. These gaps are particularly acutely felt by transgender (trans) survivors, who experience additional barriers to care and face higher rates of sexual assault. To bridge these gaps and enhance the provision of comprehensive support for trans people, we developed an intersectoral network of trans-positive community and hospital-based organizations in Ontario, Canada. As part of a baseline evaluation of the network, we conducted a social network analysis to determine the extent and nature of collaboration between members within and across these two sectors. Using a validated social network analysis tool (PARTNER survey), data were collected from June 22 to July 22, 2021. The extent of collaboration was examined by relationship type: intrasectoral (same sector) and intersectoral (different sectors). The nature of collaboration was examined using relational scores (value: power, level of involvement, potential resource contribution; trust: reliability, mission congruence, openness to discussion). Fifty-four community organizations (65.9% of 82 invited) and 24 hospital-based violence treatment centers (64.9% of 37 invited) responded. The majority of collaborations were within, rather than across, the two sectors: of all 378 collaborations described, 70.9% ( n = 268) were intrasectoral collaborations and 29.1% ( n = 110) were intersectoral collaborations. Intersectoral relationships were characterized by lower scores for level of involvement, trust, reliability, and mission congruence than intrasectoral relationships, but higher scores for power. These findings were shared in a virtual consultation session of key stakeholders, in which some participants expressed “surprise” and concern for the lack of collaboration and character of relationships across sectors. Recommendations to increase intersectoral collaboration, which included intersectoral program planning and service design and supporting increased opportunities for intersectoral training and knowledge exchange, are presented.

Recommendations to Improve the Nature and Extent of Relationships Among Organizations Within a Network to Enhance Supports for Transgender Survivors of Sexual Assault

“…15,24,35,36 The final survey contained 3 sections organized by type of variable: organizational, relational, and challenges and barriers to collaboration. Results pertaining to organizational and challenges and barriers to collaboration questions are detailed elsewhere 31,32 ; this article focuses specifically on the relational-level section of the survey, which allowed participating organizations to select trans-LINK Network organizations with which they already had a relationship (either informal or formal) related specifically to supporting trans survivors of sexual assault.…”

“…As the first step in a multipart evaluation, we conducted a baseline social network analysis of the trans-LINK Network to enable a data-driven approach to network advancement. 31,32 In this study, our specific objectives were to determine the nature and extent of collaboration, communication, and connection among member organizations within the trans-LINK Network. Our evaluation approach and findings can contribute to the evidence base on intersectoral networks and further illustrate their potential to improve the responses to complex public health and social equity issues.…”

“…Other questions are described elsewhere. 31,32 Representatives were given 8 to 10 minutes to provide their responses to each question using the sticky note feature on Jamboard, a digital interactive whiteboard application. 40 All responses from the session were exported into a spreadsheet for conventional content analysis, in which the presence of certain words or phrases is quantified and analyzed to identify relationships and produce larger clusters and themes.…”