… there are differences between teams that actively nurture family involvement and teams that lack avenues for inclusion of parents and a clinical model for building on family strengths and priorities. Teams that nurture parent involvement expressed optimism about, and satisfaction with, the effectiveness of the interventions being planned, the quality of relationships between collaborating parties, and the collaboration process itself. Teams with no avenues for including parents expressed discouragement and demoralization regarding their ability to help highly stressed children and families.

Friedman and Glass in Translating Research
into Practice 1993: 239

Leadership
Although researchers and community partners emphasize the need for shared responsibility and equality, they also identify a need for one strong lead partner to coordinate and steer the partnership. Especially in the beginning stages of discussing the potential partnership and the proposed project, agency representatives will likely look to the literacy coordinator who called them together for leadership. The person(s) who assumes this responsibility may change as the partnership develops and evolves.

As mentioned above in the need for adequate resources, having a designated coordinator will ensure that there is time available to provide this leadership. Whether this is possible or not, the skills and abilities of the person taking on the coordinator’s position are very important. A proven capacity for building strong interpersonal relationships and a high level of initiative are among the qualities required in a coordinator (Russo and Lindle 1993); as many people point out, partnerships take place between people, not agencies.