Establishing an Interagency Action Committee to Sustain Systems

Collaboration

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Collaboration is….

A mutually beneficial relationship which involves people from different sectors of the community joining together to achieve a common goal.

Involves joint planning and shared resources, funding & accountability.

Occurs through shared understanding of issues, open communication, mutual trust & tolerance of differing points of view.

The most intensive level of partnership.

Collaboration is not …

Co-location of two or more service providers in the same office

One person’s design or strategy

Compromise or consensus

Simply a one-way or two-way information exchange (nor does it imply supervision)

Fostering Systems Collaboration

Communication: Meet with leaders of local organizations & listen for shared goals

Building Trust: Invite persons with disabilities & providers to One-Stop workshops, tours, orientations & assistive technology demonstrations

Participation: Represent One-Stop’s commitment to collaboration by participating in other events, networking groups & consumer advisory councils

Strengthening & Sustaining Strengthening & Sustaining Systems CollaborationSystems Collaboration

Build an Interagency Committee

Representatives from the disability & workforce communities, business sector & other community agencies who come together to explore the most effective employment services for people with disabilities.

Serves as a means to communicate, problem-solve & ultimately work together to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities.

Establishing Partner Groups – Establishing Partner Groups – State LevelState Level

Office of Workforce Investment/ Workforce Commission

Vocational Rehabilitation

Department of Labor

Social Security Administration

Department of Education

Department of Transportation

Housing and Urban Development

State Medicaid Office

Department of Health and Human Services

Governor’s Commission on People with Disabilities

Advocacy Organizations

Faith Based and Community Based Organizations

Disability Program Navigators

Individuals with Disabilities

Establishing Partner Groups – Establishing Partner Groups – Local LevelLocal Level

Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB) Executive Staff

Representative from the Business Sector

One-Stop Career Center Director, Manager, WIA Counselor & Business Service Staff

Vocational Rehabilitation Commission for the Blind &

Visually-Impaired Commission for the Deaf &

Hard-of-Hearing Department of Mental Health Department of Mental

Retardation

Independent Living Center(s) Community Work Incentives

Coordinator (CWIC) Adult Literacy Programs Community Colleges - Offices

for Students with Disabilities Veterans Counselors Older Workers Programs Employment Networks Community-Based Providers

(Job Developers, Job Coaches, Service Coordinators, etc)

TANF Counselors

Work with leaders & allies from the Office of Workforce Investment, state/local WIBs, One-Stops, mandated partners and the disability community to align missions

Provide evidence that there is a need to strengthen, improve, and/or change systems collaboration

Invite a small, yet diverse group of stakeholders with varying perspectives, expertise & levels of experience to an initial brainstorming session

Develop a brief proposal including a general mission & purpose of the group, member responsibilities & potential topics of discussion

Building an Interagency CommitteeBuilding an Interagency Committee

Potential Objectives for Interagency Potential Objectives for Interagency CommitteesCommittees

Accessibility of One-Stop Career Centers

Interagency education & maximizing resources

Streamlining interagency referral processes

Coordinating job development approach to employers

Educating employers on hiring people with disabilities & educating disability community on engaging with business

Engaging youth with disabilities in employment

Organizing events for National Disability Employment Awareness Month & National Disability Mentoring Day

Benefits of an Interagency CommitteeBenefits of an Interagency Committee

Allows open forum for direct communication

Builds trust among partners

Provides opportunity for education & training

Encourages agencies to be a part of the solutions

Provides forum to share successes & improved outcomes

Increases accountability of agencies

Provides assistance & feedback to better meet the needs of job seekers with disabilities

Possible Roadblocks to Collaboration Possible Roadblocks to Collaboration

Lack of relationship building & trust

Lack of common interest & values

Lack of purpose, mission & goals

Lack of leadership

Lack of communication; unclear about each other’s roles

Lack of resources & time

The fear of loss of position, power & resources

Lack of an investment culture-we don't always think about the future (we are here & now focused, crisis oriented)

DOL Indicators of Effective CollaborationDOL Indicators of Effective Collaboration

Identification of existing local system assets, barriers, gaps, and duplication that impact efforts to serve people with disabilities.

Intake criteria and procedures coordinated so that people with disabilities can access appropriate services, regardless of point of entry into the system.

Confidentiality restrictions and barriers adjusted to facilitate cross-agency sharing of customer-level data.

Assessment and individual service goals/plans developed jointly and/or shared with appropriate agencies.

Cross-agency participation in development of individual plans for employment that also identify objective for a better economic future.

Cross-agency system developed to share information on an ongoing basis on individual customer needs and progress.

DOLETA June 2007

DOL Indicators of Effective CollaborationDOL Indicators of Effective Collaboration

Service providers and agency staff are cross-trained to become familiar with the scope of available services for people with disabilities.

Strategies developed and implemented to increases cross-agency referrals and/co-enrollments.

Enrollment of people with disabilities increases in the One-Stops. Co-location and benefits planning occur in the One-Stop. Increase use of work incentives and Ticket. Customer satisfaction measured for job seekers with disabilities and

results impact continuous improvement in the One-Stop, interagency collaboration enhanced, and improve employment and economic results.

DOLETA 2007

Questions to ConsiderQuestions to Consider

Is creating an interagency committee something you feel your state/local area can benefit from?

Do you think your state/local area would be receptive to building an interagency committee? Why or why not?

Do you think an interagency committee is something that you can pursue in your role as State Lead or Navigator?

What are some of the potential problems that you can foresee?

What steps can you take, in leading up to building an interagency committee, to avoid those pitfalls?

ReferencesReferences

Virginia Commonwealth University - Worksupport.com (2005) Developing Collaborative Community Partnerships, Interagency Collaboration http://www.vcu.edu/rrtcweb/techlink/courses/InteragencyC/contents.htm

Butterworth, J., Foley, S., & Metzel, D. (2001). Developing interagency agreements: Four questions to consider. The Institute Brief, 11 (1). Boston: Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston.

Rick Dove, (1998) Collaboration: Are More Heads Better? Paradigm Shift International