Keeping the Myth Alive: Network Coordinators Facing the Challenges of Public Action in the Belgian Mental Health Sector
Date
2025
Authors
Darcis, Coralie
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Ubiquity Press
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Article
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Abstract
This thesis explored the issue of coordination in the Belgian mental health sector, focusing on “network coordinators” introduced through public policies setting up local networks to counter fragmentation. Using a qualitative and ethnographic methodology, the author examined the work of these new professionals from four perspectives: instruments, practices, knowledge and experience. Describing the contours of a promising but unachievable mandate, this thesis explained the disillusionment that they experience. Finally, it took a critical look at these coordination initiatives by showing the rareness of the “successful coordinator” and highlighting the limits of the network model as it is currently conceived.
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© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Keywords
coordination work, governance, mental health, public policy, network model, myth
Citation
Darcis C. Keeping the Myth Alive: Network Coordinators Facing the Challenges of Public Action in the Belgian Mental Health Sector. International Journal of Integrated Care, 2025; 25(1): 8, 1–4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/ ijic.9050
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DOI
10.5334/ ijic.9050