Definition:
In Jigsaw, partnerships are the formal and informal relationships your organization relies on. They are one of the core elements of the operating model and include any external individuals, groups, agencies, or organizations that contribute directly or indirectly to achieving outcomes.
Partnerships may involve shared service delivery, referral pathways, contracted provision, regulatory collaboration, training, funding, oversight, or influence. Some partnerships are legally defined (e.g., subcontractors, funders, or host organizations); others are relational or reputational (e.g., allies, trusted community stakeholders, parents).
Why Partnerships Matter in Jigsaw
Partnerships extend your organization’s reach, capability, and credibility — but they also introduce uncertainty.
Wherever you rely on someone outside your system to help you protect, deliver, or respond — that’s a partnership risk. And it’s also a potential source of strength.
Every Swan depends, in part, on what your partners provide, enable, or carry forward. Each partnership may:
- Expand or constrain your ability to protect
- Support access to services, sites, funding, or supervision
- Introduce inconsistencies in culture, expectations, or response
- Shape family trust, regulator relationships, or community reputation
Partnerships, Operating Model, and Risk Sets
Partnerships sit within the operating model — alongside activities, resources, revenue, and costs — and are considered in direct relation to each Swan.
For each Swan, teams ask:
- What partnerships help us achieve this?
- Are those partnerships formal or informal?
- What are we relying on them for (space, staff, funding, delivery, supervision, approval)?
- How reliable are they?
- What could strengthen or undermine the relationship?
- What uncertainties could affect how this partnership supports or threatens the Swan?
This enables teams to:
- Identify dependency risks (e.g. a sole delivery partner with no fallback)
- Surface cultural or expectation gaps (e.g. different safeguarding language or practices)
- Design shared protocols and expectations where roles overlap
- Decide where additional clarity or alignment is needed
Best Practice for Defining and Evaluating Partnerships
- Name partners clearly — not just who they are, but what they contribute
- Clarify what the organization assumes they’ll do (and what they assume of you)
- Capture both formal (contracted) and informal (relationship-based) dependencies
- Map which Swans depend on which partnerships
- Consider equity, trust, and communication flow in every partnership assessment
Swans and Operating Model – Sample Facilitation Script