Building a shared pathway for increased collaboration across Victoria's independent community health sector

Community health organisations deliver health and wellbeing programs and services that keep people well, connected to care and supported close to home. Yet despite their critical role, the sector faces increasing pressure from shrinking funding next to growing demand and ongoing health and social services system reform.

With support from the Impact Amplified Fund, Impact Co. partnered with Community Health First (CHF) and its 21 member organisations to explore how Victoria's independent community health sector can strengthen collaboration, improve sustainability and increase its collective impact on communities across the state.

The challenge

Independent community health organisations play a unique role in Victoria's health system. They provide connected, place-based care that bridges health and social support services and helps people access the right care in the right place.

However, leaders across the sector identified several significant challenges, including:

• Limited recognition of the unique role community health plays within the broader health system
• Increasing financial and sustainability pressures
• Shrinking funding base alongside increased demand for services
• Growing competition for funding and workforce
• The need to demonstrate greater collective impact and value to government and funders

Community Health First recognised that addressing these challenges would require more than individual organisational action. It required a shared conversation about the future of the sector and what effective collaboration could look like across 21 independent organisations with diverse communities, priorities and operating contexts.

Our approach

Navigating complex system challenges requires organisations to build alignment around a shared future while creating practical pathways for action. Impact Co. partnered Community Health First to design and facilitate a structured process that brought community health leaders together to explore the future of the sector and identify opportunities for deeper collaboration and shared advocacy.

The project included:

• Pre-workshop surveys and sector-wide engagement with CEOs from independent community health organisations
• Facilitation of collaborative workshops involving leaders from across the sector
• Analysis of opportunities, barriers and enablers for future collaboration
• Development of practical frameworks, principles and options to support future collective action

The work was grounded in a central question:

How can Victoria's independent community health organisations work together more effectively to deliver scalable, sustainable and community-centred solutions to critical health and social challenges?

The impact

The project established the foundations for stronger collaboration across Victoria's independent community health sector, with leaders agreeing on a shared set of principles and practical ways of working together while respecting each organisation's independence.

During the project period Community Health First secured $20 million in funding to deliver the Care Pathways for Chronic Disease initiative, announced as part of the 2026-27 Victorian State Budget. The work already underway allowed the group to develop an agreed delivery model in a short timeframe to commence the rollout of services in 2026.

The project has created a clear pathway to shift from shared intent to coordinated action, positioning Community Health First to continue to increase sector wide collaboration and advocacy to deliver more connected, sustainable and community-centred care across Victoria.

Find out more about the Impact Amplified Fund