Cooperation - Interagency Cooperation
8.1.21 Cooperation- Interagency Cooperation
School district administrators were asked if they had written protocols ensuring cooperation with public health units on HIV/sexuality. About one-third said that they have such written protocols.
Figure 94
| Have Written Protocols with PHU | Yes |
No |
Don’t Know |
| SD-23a | 34.6 |
61.6 |
3.8 |
Both sets of local agencies were asked if they sponsored and participated in interagency committees on HIV/sexuality. There is a similarity in the responses about educators’ participation in an interagency committee sponsored by public health.
Figure 95
| School District Participates in an active Interagency committee sponsored by health | Yes |
No |
Don’t Know |
| School Districts | 35.8 |
61.3 |
2.9 |
Figure 96
| Health Unit Sponsors an Active Interagency Committee | Planned in next 2 yrs |
Regularly |
Once in last 3 yrs |
Once in last 4-10 yrs |
Never |
Not role |
Don’t Know |
No Response |
| PHU-22b | 5.0 |
32.8 |
18.1 |
5.4 |
25.6 |
6.7 |
3.5 |
2.9 |
Far fewer school district respondents reported that they sponsor an active interagency committee to advise them on sexuality education programs.
Figure 97
| School District Has Inter- agency Committee on AIDS/Sexuality Education | Standing
Committee/ |
Standing
Committee/ |
Ad hoc Committee |
No Committee |
| SD-19 | 7.4 |
5.6 |
16.2 |
70.8 |
However, almost half (48.1%) of public health units respondents said they have a representative on such committees.
Figure 98
| Health Unit Has Representative on SD Sex Ed Advisory Committee | Yes |
No |
Don’t Know |
No Response |
| PHU-24 | 48.1 |
28.8 |
4.9 |
22.0 |
School principals were asked if they invited health professionals to advise their school health committee. 41.5% said that they did so regularly.
Figure 99
| School Invites Health Professionals to School Health Committee | Planned |
Regularly |
Once in last 3 yrs. |
Once in last 4-10 yrs. |
Never |
Don’t Know |
| SP-25f | 1.8 |
41.5 |
11.9 |
5.3 |
40.2 |
0 |
Public health nurses were asked a similar question to determine if they participated in a school advisory committee on the health curriculum. About 1/3 said they did do, either fully or in part.
Figure 100
| Nurse Participates in School Health Committee | No Committee Exists |
Yes |
Partly |
No |
Don’t Know |
| PHN-17 | 18.5 |
12.6 |
19.7 |
46 |
3.2 |
School district and public health unit personnel were asked similar questions to determine if they actively supported interagency cooperation. About 4/10 of school districts said that they have an active process to implement interagency cooperation.
Figure 101
| School District has Active Process to Implement Interagency Cooperation | Yes |
No |
Don’t Know |
No Response |
| SD-23b | 40.5 |
55.2 |
2.8 |
1.5 |
About 65% of public health units said that they regularly assigned staff time to facilitate such interagency cooperation.
Figure 101b
| Health Unit Assigns Staff Time for Interagency Cooperation | Planned in next 2 yrs |
Regularly |
Once in last 3 yrs |
Once in last 4-10 yrs |
Never |
Not Role |
Don’t Know |
No Response |
| PHU-22c | 3.9 |
65.7 |
14.7 |
3.4 |
7.3 |
2.3 |
0.0 |
2.7 |
Other questions were asked about other aspects of cooperation at the local level. Most school districts reported that they encouraged schools to work with health agencies. About 4/10 of public health units reported that they funded professional development for their staff on interagency cooperation on a regular basis.
Figure 102
School District Has encouraged schools to Cooperate with Health Agencies |
Yes |
No |
Don’t Know |
| SD-23c | 74.1 |
22.0 |
3.9 |
Figure 103
| Health Unit Has Funded Professional Development on Cooperation | Planned in next 2 yrs |
Regularly |
Once in last 3 yrs |
Once in last 4-10 yrs |
Never |
Not role |
Don’t Know |
No Response |
| PHU-22d | 2.9 |
41.8 |
15.6 |
3.9 |
28.6 |
3.4 |
2.9 |
0.9 |
Responses from 68% of school district respondents indicate that there is a process within their school districts to disseminate agency information.
Figure 104
| Has Process to Disseminate Interagency Information within SD | Yes |
No |
Don’t Know |
| SD-23e | 68.2 |
28.9 |
2.9 |
Most public health units reported that there are designated contact people within their agency to work with schools on HIV/sexuality issues.
Figure 105
| Has Designated People to Work with SD (PHU-23) | Health |
Sexuality |
STD |
HIV |
| Yes | 88.3 |
88.1 |
89.6 |
89.6 |
| No | 6.5 |
10.1 |
8.7 |
8.7 |
| Don’t Know | 3.5 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
| No Response | 1.7 |
1.8 |
1.7 |
1.7 |
Accountability
The respondents in the education and health systems were asked several questions that relate to accountability. We examined how the decision-makers monitored the systems, as well as the nature of reporting procedures within the systems and to the general public.
Summary of Results Related to Accountability
The findings from this part of the study indicate that the majority of respondents in both systems are not monitoring sexual health issues in many respects.
Education respondents reported from all levels that student achievement in health education is not reported in formal monitoring systems such as indicators.
About one-half of health respondents reported that they are required to report on the health ministry plan to prevent HIV but very few are monitoring interministry efforts to prevent HIV. Similarly, public support for HIV prevention is not being monitored by the majority of health respondents.
A majority of education respondents reported that they monitor the number of health problems being experienced by students but no ministry reported that they include these data in annual or periodic reports.
Less than one-half of health respondents said that they monitor the delivery of sexual health services either through regular assessment studies or through required reporting from health units.
Very small proportions of respondents in both systems reported that they surveyed parents or students about their satisfaction with sexuality education or preventive sexual health services.
As well, a small minority of respondents in both systems reported that they monitored compliance with the recommended or prescribed guidelines for universal hygienic and safety precautions to prevent the transmission of HIV through accidents.
In summary, the above data show that both the school and public health systems are not reporting often or substantively on sexual health.