Table 2 Skills used by HiAP staff to encourage the involvement of other sectors

Strategic

 • Establishing a broad shared strategic vision with other sectors and then determining how to achieve that in practice

 • Managing up in health sector and across to Department of the Premier and Cabinet to ensure support for HiAP work, and building other external alliances

 • Taking a helicopter overview of the entire initiative

 • Monitoring the ways in which the public sector environment is changing and adapting to survive

 • Watching for windows of opportunity to progress HiAP work and navigate recommendations through decision making hierarchies at times when success is most likely

Knowledge

 • Working to understand the core agenda of other sectors

 • Detailed understanding of SDH and how the core business of other sectors may influence population health

 • Ability to interpret evidence and translate it in a way that is relevant to the core business of other sectors (e.g. evidence on link between literacy and health or evidence on links between urban planning, walkability and the creation of health promoting spaces)

Relational

 • Being proactive and making cold calls to public servants in other sectors

 • Building and fostering a broad and supportive network in public service for HiAP

 • Relationship building which includes confidence with networking and making informal contact with actors from other sectors (eg coffee and discussions)

 • Shepherding the on-going HiAP work from behind the flock by nurturing collaborations

 • Confidence working at the boundary and linking organisations across different sectors

 • Confidence to put the business of other sectors first, and to work with them to identify co-benefits to advance the other sector’s priorities while also addressing Health’s priorities