Strengthening Collaborations
for Better Transition Outcomes
“Building Powerful Partnerships”
September 23, 2014
Presentation by
The Center for Excellence & Advocacy
Agenda
• Why A Partnership? Keys to Collaborative
•
•
•
•
Success
Addressing Self-Interest
Foundation Building Blocks—Mobilizing and
Maximizing Community Assets
Organizing to Get the Work Done
Q & A and Next Steps
2
PARTNER
SHIPS
Schools
Public Social Service
Agencies
Employers
Mental Health Providers
Youth and Families
Community Based
Service Provides
Health Care Agencies
3
PARTNERSHIPS
4
Keys to Collaborative Success
New Thinking
Mutual
Self-Interests
Collaborative
Action
Foundation Building
Blocks
5
New Thinking
• Reflect on your initial impressions of the
transition process.
• Consider district priorities and existing
efforts that address the domains of
transition for the youth you serve.
• Are there potential opportunities that
may be presented by deepening your
partnership efforts?
6
Your “Stuff”…
• Take a few moments to quickly brainstorm all
of the agencies, initiatives, programs, and
places that provide any home and/or
community-based services for youth with
transition needs in one of the following
areas:
•
•
•
•
Employment
Education / training
Independent living
Community participation
7
Community
Participation…
• Advocates in Action
• Dare to Dream
• RI Cross Disability Coalition
• RI DD Council
• Best Buddies
• Special Olympics
• Rotary, Elks, Kiwanis
• Clubs of interest
• books, stamp, coins,
scrapbooking, gardening
• City / town event volunteers
• parade, Xmas lights, food drive
• Church,
• choir, social ministry, bible
study
• Game groups
• bingo, cards, larping
8
Community
Participation…
• Community theatre
• Community chorus
• Sports leagues –
• Bowling, swimming, fishing
• Community center activities
• pottery, knitting, story telling,
art, movie night
• Volunteer
• Fire station, hospital, nursing
home, animal shelter, library
• Political organizations • Parities, Individual campaign
support, poll worker
• Charitable groups –
• UWAY, Red Cross, Cancer
Society
• Learning Exchange
• Courses on cooking, cake
decorating, Excel 1, Knitting,
Job Searching, Learn Italian
9
Employment
• Youth Centers –
• West Bay, Family Resources,
CCAP Pawtucket, South County,
East Bay
• State summer work –
• DEM, state beaches, general
assembly interns
• City / town summer work
• Parks and recreation
• Seasonal work –
• Summer Employment
Programs (ORS/WIB)
• Tri-town, Blackstone Valley
CAP, RI Marine Trades, West
Bay, Pawtucket CCAP, Seven
Hills, Family Resources, SER
Jobs, Young Voices, Goodwill,
Perspectives, Lifespan
• Local employment –
• grocery stores, ice cream
shop, restaurants, summer
camps
• Landscaping, Dairy Queen, bed &
• Hireateen.com and CEA
breakfasts
10
Mutual Self-Interests
Think about your own &/or your
organization’s self-interest in partnering with
other entities to address the employment
domain. Be HONEST – WIIFM?
High School Spec Ed Director –
 Annual assessments
 2 sixty day work experiences for youth with I/DD before
exiting school
 No new staff or resources to get this done
From the list of previously listed employment resources  What are my options? –
 What’s in it for me? - school
 What’s in it for my partner?
11
Mutual Self-Interests
What needs to happen for each partner to
remain in that relationship a year from now,
two years from now, etc…
Spec Ed Director –
 Work experiences for students
 Assessments / evaluations
 Case notes / progress
 Job shadowing
 Work readiness / work preparation
 Paid opportunities for youth
 Case management and staff support
 Job Coaching
12
Mutual Self-Interests
What needs to happen for each partner to remain
in that relationship a year from now, two years from
now, etc…
Goodwill Industries Summer Opportunities
 ORS eligible students (16+)
 Numbers achieved for their summer programs
 Younger youth for their WIB Summer Work
Preparation program (14 – 15 year olds)
 Steady stream of referrals each summer from
partnering school.
13
Mutual Self-Interests
Think about your own &/or your
organization’s self-interest in partnering with
other entities to address the community
participation domain. Be HONEST – WIIFM?
From the list of previously listed
community resources –
 What are my options?
 What’s in it for me? - school
 What’s in it for my partner?
14
Mutual Self-Interests
High School Spec Ed Director –
• Activities of interest that integrate the student into
their community
• Community activities that further develop social and /
or daily living skills
• Social opportunities to become a part of a group and
/ or make friends
Entity selected –
•
•
•
Increase membership / fees – Rotary, Elks, etc…
Increased # of volunteers – political, non-profits
Talent and diversity – community theatre, chorus
15
Foundation Building Blocks
•
Identify one domain where you need to build a
partnership – start with a gap
•
Brain dump all the available resources & explore the
possibilities
•
Build a small coalition of selected partners and clearly
define the self-interests of each party
•
Develop process for accessing those partnerships
•
Establish standard meeting times to assess that mutual
needs are getting met – monthly at first then quarterly
•
Once one domain is up and running, add a second
domain.
16
Building a System of Partnership /
Collaboration
• Your vision should drive the work.
• Focus on functions vs. titles
• Recruit strategic partners—don’t do
the work alone.
• Manage your connections and be
accountable.
• Partner and “map” internally whenever
possible.
• Asset mapping is a continual “living”
process.
17
Building Capacity
System
Partnership
Structure
Organizations
Internal Organizational
Infrastructure
Individuals
Support for youth
and families
18
Taking the Next Step
• Looking at your transition priorities
identify one or two specific goals to
address.
• Identify individuals / partners who can
help you shape the action steps and
processes for each of the goals you have
identified.
• Address needs and self-interests of each
partner.
• Assess and address needs every time you
meet.
19
Need Help? Contact Us
The Center for Excellence & Advocacy
662 Hartford Avenue
Providence, RI 02909
401.283-1111
[email protected]
20