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Building Partnerships and Building Partnerships and Collaboration at the State-LevelCollaboration at the State-Level

Strategic Service Delivery ComponentDisability Employment Initiative

Building Partnerships and Building Partnerships and Collaboration at the State-LevelCollaboration at the State-Level

Hosted/Presented by:

Jamie Robinson NDI Technical Assistance Team

Brian Ingram

Program Manager, Worksystems, Inc.

Disability Employment Initiative (DEI)

DEI Projects are required to establish and coordinate partnerships with other state level agencies that may be critical to the success of education, training, and employment activities.

Training and Technical Assistance to DEI Projects in effectively coordinating partnerships at the state-level is provided under U.S. DOLETA contract with NDI Consulting, Inc. and the National Disability Institute (NDI).

Evaluation of the impact of DEI Projects’ implementation and outcomes in effectively coordinating partnerships at the state-level will be provided under U.S. DOL ODEP contract with Social Dynamics.

Training Objectives

Upon completion of this webinar, DEI Projects will have information to move forward in establishing and coordinating partnerships by:

Considering how state-level partnership and collaboration impact other strategic components of the DEI

Re-evaluating interagency relationships that have been established at the state-level with a focus on DEI goals and expected outcomes

Considering the distinctions between networking and partnership and collaboration

Considering the steps or phases in fostering and sustaining interagency partnership and collaboration

Considering how state-level interagency committees can strengthen systems relationships at the local service delivery level

Considering other ways that state DEI teams can guide and support local-level DEI efforts in partnership and collaboration

Vision of DEI

Improve coordination and collaboration among employment and training and asset development programs implemented at state and local levels, including the Ticket to Work Program, and

Build effective community partnerships that leverage public and private resources to better serve individuals with disabilities and improve employment outcomes.

Components of DEI

REQUIRED DEI COMPONENT

Establish & coordinate state-level partnerships

7 DEI PROJECTS

Partnerships & Collaboration

Approach

ALL DEI PROJECTS

Integrated Resource Team Approach

7 DEI PROJECTS

Blending/braiding funds, leveraging

resources

Re-Evaluating Partnerships

How have you approached partners in the past? Individually? As part of an interagency group? As equal members of a larger governing body?

Do your relationships in the community most closely resemble networking or collaboration?

What are the current goals and outcomes associated with these relationships?

How will the specific requirements outlined in your DEI contracts be impacted by what already exists?

How could your relationships in the community be modified or expanded to help you reach DEI goals?

Moving toward Partnership & Collaboration

Interagency Networking

Interagency Partnership and Collaboration

Reaching Consensus (internally) Initiating Collaboration (externally) Implementing Goals Sustaining Collaboration

Interagency Networking

Information Exchange Organization Visibility Marketing and Outreach Coordinating and Cooperating Developing Trust Expanding Network

Examples of Interagency Networking

A group that functions only as a forum for member updates and/or for promotion of organization services

A group whose activities do not lead to significant systems impact

A group with no established purpose or authority beyond convening

A group composed of members who advocate solely for their own established positions, who do not engage in problem solving, or make resource commitments toward the attainment of shared goals

Interagency Partnership & Collaboration

Close cooperation, trust & communication Shared vision/mission jointly established Specified goals defined Shared & prompt decision making Negotiation & coordination of resources, services

and/or funding All partners accountable for outcomes Results in measurable outcomes for the systems

involved Ability to anticipate & manage change

Fostering Partnership & Collaboration

Reaching Consensus

Reach consensus within your own system first Know what your system is interested in attaining Have a clear idea of what you can bring to the table as

leverage Have full authority to negotiate within clearly defined

parameters

Fostering Partnership & Collaboration

Initiating Collaboration

Use the initial meeting to establish a shared goal and a specific, goal-based strategy

Clearly define the role of each collaborative member Negotiate resources, services and/or funds that

organizations can commit to contributing Establish a timeline linked to specific outcome goals

Fostering Partnership & Collaboration

Implementing Goals

Clearly communicate state-level expectations to regional/local level on timeline of goals, recommendations and expected outcomes

Provide specific guidance and support to regional/local level when establishing a new model or set of practices

Develop clear measures of effectiveness Monitor, measure, learn, communicate and innovate

Fostering Partnership & Collaboration

Sustaining Collaboration

Define a level of systems impact substantial enough to warrant ongoing contribution beyond the life of project funding

Work to establish a method to measure the systems impact of the project that is relevant to all contributing parties

Develop your sustainability plan at the same time as your project plan, roll them out together

Possible Roadblocks to Partnership & Collaboration

Lack of relationship building & trust Lack of common interest & values Lack of purpose, mission & specific goals Lack of leadership Lack of communication; unclear about 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 and now focused, crisis oriented)

Benefits of Partnership & Collaboration

Leverage strengths Share responsibility Gain competencies Increase potential for innovation Enhance competency sets Increase access to pooled resources Develop organizational relationships that redefine customer

base and outcomes obtained as shared Obtain consensus around goals that meet outcome

requirements of multiple systems and funding streams Increased capacity to effectively serve shared customers

and achieve greater positive outcomes

Building Partnership & Collaboration

Questions, tips, and/or lessons learned inpartnership and collaboration?

A: Submit it to the host in writing via the Chat or Q&A Box to the right, or…

B: Click on the “raise hand” icon to have your line un-muted and ask your question/make your comment.

State-Level Interagency Committees

State-level groups that target specific outcomes can

strengthen interagency relationships at the local service

delivery level by:

Clarifying goals, identifying resources and setting expectations that carry the final, or close to final, approval

Supporting regional/office staff to feel confident in engaging and partnering with interagency staff around shared customers

Identifying and disseminating best practices Authorizing, resourcing and standardizing goals and outcomes

for local-level Interagency Committees

Building Partnership & Collaboration at the Local-Level

DRCs can build interagency partnership and collaboration at the local-level by:

Networking and resource mapping to expand potential for more intensive partnership and collaboration

Re-evaluating partnerships and collaborations already established with goals and outcomes specific to DEI

Reaching consensus within organization on goals, resource commitment and anticipated outcomes

Initiating collaboration and implementing goals Measuring impact and sustaining systems collaboration

Local-Level Interagency Committees

Strategy that DRCs can use to build interagency partnership and collaboration that:

Allows open forum for direct communication Builds trust among partners Provides opportunity for education, training and cross-

agency coordination Encourages agencies to be a part of the solutions Provides forum to share successes and improved

outcomes Provides assistance and feedback to better meet the needs

of job seekers with disabilities

Objectives for Local-LevelInteragency Committees

Assist DRC in carrying out strategic service delivery components of DEI:

Partnerships and Collaboration Integrating Resources and Services, Blending and

Braiding funds, Leveraging Resources Integrated Resource Team (IRT) approach

Address physical, programmatic and communication access within public workforce investment system and partner systems

Streamline interagency referral processes and maximize resources

Coordinate job development and marketing approach to employers

Building Partnership & Collaboration at the Local-Level

DEI SRATEGIC SERVICE DELIVERY

COMPONENTS

7 DEI PROJECTS

Partnerships & Collaboration Approach

ALL DEI PROJECTS

Integrated Resource Team Approach

7 DEI PROJECTS

Blending/braiding funds,

leveraging resources

Identifying job seekers with multiple

resource needs

Career mapping process

Effective practices/models

Steps in collaboration

Interagency committees

Summary

Building partnerships and collaboration at the state-level is an integral part of the DEI that can impact the implementation of strategic service delivery components

Consider re-evaluating interagency relationships under DEI, potentially re-defining goals, re-committing shared resources/funds and re-setting outcomes

Consider the stages of interagency relationships, including networking and moving toward a closer level of partnership and collaboration

Consider ways in which state-level interagency committees can strengthen systems relationships at the local service delivery level

Consider other ways that state DEI teams can guide and support local-level efforts in partnership and collaboration

Building Partnership & Collaboration

Questions, tips, and/or lessons learned in partnership and collaboration?

A: Submit it to the host in writing via the Chat or Q&A Box to the right, or…

B: Click on the “raise hand” icon to have your line un-muted and ask your question/make your comment.

Contact Information

Brian Ingram

Worksystems, Inc. Portland, OR

bingram@worksystems.org

(503)478-7317

Jamie Robinson

NDI Technical Assistance Team

JRobinson@ndi-inc.org

(860)344-0138