title: Co-ordinated action between youth-care and sports: facilitators and barriers.
abstract: In the Netherlands, youth-care organisations and community sports clubs are collaborating to increase socially vulnerable youths' participation in sport. This is rooted in the idea that sports clubs are settings for youth development. As not much is known about co-ordinated action involving professional care organisations and community sports clubs, this study aims to generate insight into facilitators of and barriers to successful co-ordinated action between these two organisations. A cross-sectional study was conducted using in-depth semi-structured qualitative interview data. In total, 23 interviews were held at five locations where co-ordinated action between youth-care and sports takes place. Interviewees were youth-care workers, representatives from community sports clubs, and Care Sport Connectors who were assigned to encourage and manage the co-ordinated action. Using inductive coding procedures, this study shows that existing and good relationships, a boundary spanner, care workers' attitudes, knowledge and competences of the participants, organisational policies and ambitions, and some elements external to the co-ordinated action were reported to be facilitators or barriers. In addition, the participants reported that the different facilitators and barriers influenced the success of the co-ordinated action at different stages of the co-ordinated action. Future research is recommended to further explore the role of boundary spanners in co-ordinated action involving social care organisations and community sports clubs, and to identify what external elements (e.g. events, processes, national policies) are turning points in the formation, implementation and continuation of such co-ordinated action.
authors.affiliation: Health and Society Group, Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen UR, Verwery-Jonker Institute, Utrecht, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hermens
authors.affiliation: Health and Society Group, Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen UR, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lisanne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Langen
authors.affiliation: Health and Society Group, Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen UR, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kirsten T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Verkooijen
authors.affiliation: Health and Society Group, Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen UR, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Koelen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D001290:Attitude; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D019359:Knowledge; D009426:Netherlands; D011361:Professional Competence; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012947:Social Work / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013177:Sports; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
keywords: exercise programmes; health and social care networks; social work and health; vulnerable populations; young people