Multi‐Stakeholder Partnerships That Support In(ter)dependent Living Kay Magill, Ph.D. Linda Toms Barker, MA IMPAQ International
Collaboration is Fundamental • Especially when many stakeholders are involved, establishing good, solid, working partnerships is: – An important component of effective service delivery – A critical factor in the achievement of desired goals and outcomes – An essential element in the sustainability of successful strategies and practices
It’s Also Complicated!
Needs Cut Across Systems • To makes things even more complicated, the needs of people with disabilities cut across the boundaries of many different service systems and community‐based organizations • For example, to find support, a person with a disability may need to find and access services for: – Housing – Transportation – Healthcare – Employment – And much, much more
. . . and Multiple Systems Interact With Each Other
Solutions Also Cut Across Systems • Multi‐stakeholder partnerships promote interdependent living for people with disabilities by helping make services more effective, and service systems less complicated to deal with • Building relationships within the disability community and the larger community is key – “This is how you establish the roots that will eventually grow into the strong tree in the future.”
Barriers to Strong Partnerships • Unfortunately, there are many potential barriers to establishing strong, sustainable partnerships • Stakeholders may not share each other’s values, or consider each other credible or trustworthy • On the other hand, people may share common goals in the larger effort to promote and support interdependent living for people with disabilities, but still find themselves in in opposition to each other for structural reasons
Structural Barriers to Partnership • Structural barriers often include: – Different – and often, conflicting – e ligibility requirements, referral processes, and service delivery options – Overlap in what populations are to be served, or what geographic area – A history of turf battles or competition for resources
What if the Puzzle Pieces Don’t Fit?
Other Barriers to Partnerships • Lack of coordination across “silos” • Inflexible funding requirements that may limit or forbid combining funds or applying them where needed • Insufficient resources to support partnership‐ building
Government Focus on Partnerships • Government and other funding sources do get the point: – They have, in recent years, consistently built requirements for service integration and collaboration into their grant solicitations – They also frequently require accountability measures intended to assess how well grantee partnerships are implemented
Some Possible Solutions • Develop the infrastructure needed in order to most effectively serve people with disabilities and seniors in the environment they choose. • Establish mechanisms “at the top” (i.e., the federal or state level) through which the different funding streams can work together • Establish other mechanisms to enable different agencies to work together
Community Living Initiative • Unique collaboration across federal agencies • Coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) • Came about when President Obama designated “The Year of Community Living” in 2009 • Intended to identify and promote ways to improve access to housing, community supports, and independent living arrangements for individuals with disabilities and older adults • Particular concern with facilitating partnerships across local and regional service delivery systems
Northeast Interagency Collaboration • Training in collaboration provided to state and local systems to address employment services for people with disabilities – State VR and Mental Health agencies set up interagency agreement to jointly fund a statewide coordinator position – Facilitators provided cross‐agency training not only in serving people with disabilities, but also in how to work together and coordinate services – Participants also trained in “case conferencing” and information‐sharing
Factors Supporting Successful Partnerships • Successful partnerships are typically the result of: – strong leadership – consistent policies – a shared framework for action – coherent strategies – sufficient resources, both human and financial
Virginia Easy Access Website • For adults with disabilities, seniors, their caregivers, and the providers that support them • Secure and confidential connection to community resources • Public‐private partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia, 2‐1‐1 Virginia, and SeniorNavigator • http://www.easyaccess.virginia.gov
San Diego County Network of Care (NoC) • A user‐friendly one‐stop resource for local health and social service information • A personal, confidential medical record and communication tool for consumers, physicians, providers, and caregivers • www.sandiego.networkofcare.org • Links to web resources such as the Independent Living Center and TEAM SAN DIEGO
TEAM SAN DIEGO • Goal is to improving chronic care by improving care coordination • Online education program designed to train physicians, their office staff, and community health and social service providers to work together as a "virtual team” • Access to local community resources for patients and their caregivers
South Dakota Ticket To Work • A model of successful cross‐agency financial collaboration • Shared responsibility for TTW program that helps get people receiving Social Security benefits into employment – Department of Rehabilitative Services, a TTW Employment Network, works in close partnership with the Department of Labor Regulation – Partner agencies conduct follow‐up – Distinctions in services between agencies are kept invisible to the customer • Shared reimbursement – 50/50 split of milestone payments – among provider agencies
Collaboration for Transition • “Supporting the Return to Home and Community” in North Carolina • North Carolina’s Money Follows the Person Transition Coordination Handbook outlines the collaboration needed among the transitioning individuals, their families and guardians, and staff from the state‐operated Developmental Centers, case managers, NC START (adult only), community‐based organizations, and residential and service providers.
Virginia Wounded Warrior Program • Monitors and coordinates behavioral health and rehabilitative services with support services • Integrated, comprehensive, and responsive system of public and private partnerships • Important partners are the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services
Kansas City Add Us In Consortium • Business associations work collaboratively with workforce, youth‐serving, and disability‐serving organizations providing a continuum of career opportunities for urban youth with disabilities • Multi‐stakeholder partnership led by the University of Missouri‐Kansas City, Institute for Human Development: – Full Employment Council – Black Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City – Kansas City Business Leadership Network – KC Parks and Recreation – KC YMCA – Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation – The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce – The Whole Person
Keep From Going Over the Cliff
Contact Us • Kay Magill kay@impaqint.com 510‐465‐7885 (Oakland, CA) • Linda Toms Barker ltomsbarker@impaqint.com 808‐934‐9297 (Hilo, HI)
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