Experience of collaboration at a family centre for preschool children in Sweden

In 2014, the Public Dental Health Service in Södra Ryd, Skövde, started a collaboration at the local family centre with the aim of performing health-promoting activities. Personnel at the family centre can play an important role in promoting children’s health, including oral health, by testing preventive guidance. Objectives: To describe the personnel’s experience of collaboration. Basic research design: Qualitative interviews with transcripts analysed using the phenomenographic approach. Participants: Seven staff with experience of collaboration. All were female, aged 34-62 and were dental nurses, child health-care nurses, preschool teacher or family centre co-ordinators. Results: Three themes describing personnel’s experience of collaboration at the family centre emerged: Collaboration produces an holistic approach, Co-location creates added value and Working methods result in development. Each theme was represented by three to four categories that represent different conceptions of collaboration at a family centre. Conclusions: The staff had found that the way of working was positive, mainly because it gave an increased overall view and that the co-location created added value. It also created development through mutual learning and new methods. However, it took time to establish collaboration and required permissive leadership.