Factors influencing multi-agency working to address gambling-related harms (GRH) in Great Britain

Summary

This learning digest explores factors that support or hinder multi-agency working, drawing insights from interviews with different stakeholders of the Regional Boards across England, Scotland, and Wales, established as part of GambleAware’s Mobilising Local Systems (MLS) funding programme.

Topics covered

Insights from wider research on multi-agency working, including four key enablers identified as central to effective multi-agency collaboration.
Key factors associated with facilitating or hindering multi-agency working in the gambling-related harms (GRH) sector, including: persistence and relationship-building, making the case for GRH, situating GRH within the broader public health agenda, and overcoming barriers to cooperation.
Conclusions and recommendations to Regional Boards and other stakeholders to ensure continued progress in multi-agency working so that efforts to reduce GRH continue to be embedded, coordinated, and impactful.

Key findings

The lessons emerging from the MLS funding programme provide a strong foundation for navigating this current period of change for GRH service provision, reinforcing the importance of strengthening engagement, improving organisational effectiveness, and fostering effective leadership.
To ensure continued progress of the Regional Boards and multi-agency working, three key areas should be considered:
- Strengthening engagement – Regional Boards should develop a compelling offer that aligns with the priorities of potential partners, and engagement strategies should be data-driven, strategically-targeted, and informed by lived experience of GRH.
- Effective leadership – Regional Boards should adopt confident and proactive approaches to collaboration. They should be willing to take risks and explore new engagement opportunities to position GRH within wider policy and public health agendas.
- Organisational effectiveness - Board members must be able to demonstrate how they are using evidence and data to identify needs effectively while maintaining structured governance and accountability.

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Learning digest: factors influencing multi-agency working to address gambling-related harms (GRH) in Great Britain

Learning digest: factors influencing multi-agency working to address gambling-related harms (GRH) in Great Britain