Collaborations for Children and Youth: What Works!

Graham Clyne, MA

Director, The Calgary Children’s Initiative

Collaboration for Preschool Development Learning Event • November 29th

The Many Faces of Childhood Well-BeingNovember 30th 2007, Edmonton AB

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Sparrow Lake Alliance Symposium on Successful Collaborations

150 Professionals and leaders from different sectors – an all volunteer organization

Committed to healthier child/youth outcomes through improved service integration and system change

Host an Annual Conference, Specific Symposiums – Creating Reports / Recommendations

Important cross sector networking and partnership opportunities for leaders with shared values

What Works? – Four Community Stories of Success

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What Works? Big Picture Findings

There is no single way forward – no formula

There are common features and descriptors of effective collaborative partnerships

Specific best practice behaviours are evident - among people, partners, agencies, and funders

There are – and should be – tangible benefits for every collaborator

Funding is not the driver behind successful community collaborations

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Common Elements of Success Create a Vision with Big Ideas….

Easily shared – overarching and inclusive

Speaks to the aspirations of partner organizations and the broader community

Creates latitude for future action, greater responsiveness

Adds the potential to engage other “different” partners

Revisiting the Vision is helpful when you struggle

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Common Elements of Success

Work with the Willing…

Partners who are ready to go – who buy into the vision

Partners who see a “fit” with their organizational goals

Make an effort to be inclusive – but don’t wait

Create some immediate or short term wins

Remember:

Partners and their level of participation will change

Merits of the work will enlarge/change the partners

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Common Elements of Success

Innovative Leaders….

Styles that are open to risk taking and change

Leaders that “see” and understand issues systemically

People who are not “pre-occupied” with compliance

Creativity should be strongly encouraged

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Common Elements of Success

Partners as Navigators….

Able to openly share the limits and constraints of their organizations

Helping to identify where / how strategies might fit with organizational imperatives

Communicating the partners messages in their own organizations

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Building Momentum….

A launch event, local or external / expert “call to action”

Celebrate any small early successes

Describe the “value” created to any of the partners

Tell the story of children and families who have benefited from the new way of doing business

Common Elements of Success

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Common Elements of SuccessIt’s all About People….

Provide time for personal and social networking

Facilitate professional connections / opportunities

Maximize face time esp. early in the process

Share leadership opportunities among all the partners – regardless of size

Demonstrate / verbalize your trust in one another

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Common Elements of SuccessCareful Maintainance is Required….

Collaboratives are dynamic and evolve over time

Open communication is critical - at all levels

Absence of problems: does not mean things are fine

Opportunities are brought to and shared with the group

The “tipping point” - “we” becomes commonly used to describe “our” work

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Best Practices Among Partners

How did agencies and their representatives participate?

What behaviours seemed common among successful collaboratives?

What actions and strategies sustained the partnership?

Where does leadership come from?

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Best Practices Among Partners

Make it Local….

Critical to adapt to local circumstances

Frameworks are modified as needed

Plans change when opportunities arise

Groups are not reluctant to “push back”

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Best Practices Among Partners

Building commitment….

Personal and organizational commitment are both needed

Cultures differ: how is your organizations best engaged?

Communication vehicles and specific strategies required

Tell / Sell the benefits to each organization

Use your partners – cross board presentations

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Best Practices Among PartnersBe and Stay Flexible….

Avoid elaborate written protocols / policies

Big vision, clear principles, loose framework

Be driven by principles – not policies

Build a culture that values and celebrates innovation

Remember the Big Vision whenever you need to

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Best Practices Among Partners

Resource Implications….

Share what you can, whenever you can

Make a Commitment – then figure out how

Redeploy your resources and try new things

Collaborative work should not be an add on – something should drop off the table

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Best Practices Among Partners

Resource Implications….

Share what you can, whenever you can

Make a Commitment – then figure out how

Redeploy your resources and try new things

Collaborative work should not be an add on – something should drop off the table

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Best Practices Among Partners

Just Get Going....

Communities need to lead – not funders

Process is fine – but its not an outcome

Anticipate, create a problem solving culture

Ready Aim Fire vs. Ready Fire Aim Aim Aim

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The Benefits of Collaboration

Key Assumptions….

These will vary by community and agency

Incentives / benefits tend to be quite specific

Membership should have its privileges

Many benefits occur “away from the table”

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The Benefits of Collaboration

Better Outcomes for children, youth, families

New information / new insights / better data

Opportunities to Learn / Revisit your assumptions

Collective responses to silo issues are preferable

Shared funding opportunities where partners are needed

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The Benefits of Collaboration

Mutual Support / Peer Support network of colleagues

Opportunities for staff to learn, grow and innovate

Piggy Backing and Resource Sharing

There are notable synergies e.g. Able to do more, better

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Governments and Funders

Create Incentives – use both carrots and sticks

A loose framework, principles, intended outcomes

Support the process piece – can be time consuming

Research / Best Practice support – Challenge the group to reach for excellence

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Governments and Funders

Participation should always be voluntary

Support community funding decisions

Co-conspirators! Lets try new approaches

Model the service integration / collaboration you seek in communities

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The Role of FundingFunding if necessary, but not necessarily….

Can be divisive – especially during service shortfalls

Resources for the process – can be helpful

Small, flexible, funding to solve early problems

Vision and directions should attract funding

Partners will bring funding opportunities to the group

Note: Funding was not considered as a dependant variable in the success of any collaborative projects

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Evaluating Your Collaborative Using these findings….

Review the SLA results (sparrowlakealliance.org)

Turn the applicable findings into statements (e.g. We have a communications strategy for each partner to build organizational commitment)

Have members score themselves, their organization and the collaborative against these statements (1-10)

Discuss the similarities and differences in results – Strategize!