Hyvällä mallilla -foorumi kunnan ja järjestön yhteistyön arvioinnissa
Keywords:
dialogue, evaluation, non-pro t organization, volunteeringAbstract
There has been a growing interest in defining “best practices” for co-operation between professionals and volunteers working with families. However, at a local level, it is obvious that the participation and joint planning as well as evaluation requires dialogues between families, volunteers and professionals. ”Hyvällä mallilla” forum (HMF, roughly translated as ”Well on track” forum) has been developed to facilitate discussions of professionals and volunteers concerning voluntary based practices. The HMF evaluates how voluntary based practices can be implemented locally or nationwide. This article is based on a study that aimed to find out 1) how useful HMF is in enhancing discussions between volunteers and professionals, and 2) how a good co-operation between volunteers and professionals is defined in HMF
discussions. The material of the study included 19 feedback sheets from those who are responsible of developing action that was evaluated, and the reports of 19 HMF discussions. The results of the study indicate that the forum is a useful method in developing co-operation between the municipality and non-profit organizations. The method promotes dialogical and equal discussions that take into account different perspectives. The co-operation between professionals and volunteers is interesting, but it is also complicated, from the viewpoint of both parties. Both professionals and volunteers emphasize the significance of a contact person.
