Disability Employment Initiative (DEI)

1. Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) Building Partnerships and Collaboration At the Local Level Hosted/Facilitated by: Laura Gleneck Presented by: Jamie Robinson, NDI Technical Assistance Team Brian Ingram, Worksystems, Inc., Portland, OR NDI Technical Assistance Team 2011 Training Series (April 29, 2011)

2. Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) • DEI Projects are required to establish and coordinate partnerships with other state and local 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- and local-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-and local-level will be provided under U.S. DOL ODEP contract with Social Dynamics.

3. Building Partnerships and Collaboration at the Local Level Learning Objectives Upon completion of this webinar, DEI Projects will have information to move forward in establishing and coordinating partnerships by: • Considering how partnership and collaboration at both the state and local area impact other DEI strategic components. • Considering the distinctions between networking and partnership and collaboration. • Re-evaluating interagency relationships that have been established at the local-level with a focus on DEI. • Considering the steps or phases in fostering and sustaining interagency partnership and collaboration. • Considering how local-level interagency committees can strengthen systems relationships at the local service delivery level.

4. Vision of DEI • Improve coordination and collaboration among employment and training and asset development programs implemented at 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.

5. Components of DEI

6. 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. • Reaching consensus within system on goals, resource commitment and anticipated outcomes. • Re-evaluating partnerships already established with goals and outcomes specific to the DEI and workforce system. • Initiating systems partnership and collaboration by aligning missions and determining key leverage points. • Implementing collaborative strategies through shared resources, communication and outcomes. • Measuring impact and sustaining systems collaboration.

7. Examples ofInteragency Networking An interagency relationship or group: • Whose members meet to exchange basic programmatic information and resources • Which functions only as a forum for member updates and/or promotion of organizational services • Whose coordinated activities do not lead to significant systems change • Which has no established purpose beyond convening - no one at the table has authority to commit resources • Who advocate solely for their own established positions, who do not engage in problem solving or make resource commitments toward shared goals

8. An interagency relationship or group: Whose members have developed trust and engage in close cooperation & prompt shared decision-making Who are able to anticipate and manage change Who have jointly established shared vision and work together toward specified goals that impact shared outcomes Whose members engage in joint problem-solving and are all accountable for outcomes Whose coordinated activities involve negotiation and leveraging of resources, services and/or funding, resulting in measurable outcomes for all systems involved Examples of Interagency Partnership & Collaboration

9. Moving towardPartnership & Collaboration • Resource Mapping & Interagency Networking • Interagency Partnership and Collaboration • Step 1 - Reaching Consensus (internally) • Step 2 - Initiating Collaboration (externally) • Step 3 - Implementing Goals • Step 4 - Sustaining Collaboration

10. Fostering Partnership& Collaboration Step 1: Reaching Consensus • Work with your system’s leaders to: • Know your system, what they want to attain and what they will contribute • Re-evaluate partnerships and determine how to expand upon them

11. Step 1: Reaching Consensus Know Your System • Convene decision makers within your own organization; WIB-level & One-Stop management membership is ideal • Clarify DEI goals and grant commitments with system leaders • Reach consensus on what your system is interested in attaining & what they can bring to the table as leverage • Know what roles your workforce leaders want to play • Have full authority to negotiate within clearly defined parameters and gain clear guidance as to organization’s goals • Solicit input on both broad and specific goals/anticipated outcomes of organization

12. Step 1: Reaching Consensus Re-evaluate Partnerships • How have partners been approached 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?

13. Fostering Partnership & Collaboration • Step 2: Initializing Collaboration • When reaching out to partners: • Start broad with shared systems missions and outcome goals • Narrow it down to key leverage points and resource needs

14. STEP 2: Initiating Collaboration • Start Broad • Use initial meetings with partners to establish shared organizational missions and outcome goals. • Consider calling an interagency meeting based on a broad topic or mission which both partners are invested in: • Increasing access to One-Stop services for shared customers with disabilities • Improving interagency referral process • Establishing interagency guidelines for IRT approach • Improving employment outcomes for youth

15. STEP 2: Initiating Collaboration • Narrow It Down • Work with partners to determine key leverage points and resource needs. • Based on consensus of shared missions and goals, determine specific time-limited outcomes to focus efforts. • Consider limiting initial goals and resource contributions to outcomes considered low risk by participating systems. • Discuss & define any terms or conditions associated with each partner’s contributed resources. • Job Ready, Case Management, Employment Outcome, Retention services, Resource of Last Resort

16. Fostering Partnership & Collaboration • Step 3: Implementing Collaboration • When working together with partners: • Get specific with roles, contributions and expected outcomes • Communicate progress made and challenges from the field

17. Step 3: Implementing Collaboration Get Specific: • Negotiate and gain commitment from all partners to contribute resources, services and/or funds. • Clearly communicate expectations on timeline of goals, recommendations and expected outcomes. • Develop clear roles for all partners that directly contribute to the agreed upon outcomes, especially the role of the DRC. • Clearly define the accountable authority for each project deliverable and the flow of information reporting. • Decide how data will be collected and recognized by all participating systems. • Be sure and leave the door open to build on your successes. 17

18. Step 3: Implementing Collaboration • Communicate • Consider how information from the group will be distributed to the service delivery level. • Consider how information, progress and challenges from the field will be distributed to the group. • Consider reporting progress and data to partners at scheduled points in the timeline. • Get consensus around the role of the DRC in reporting program information to the participating systems.

19. Fostering Partnership & Collaboration Step 4: Sustaining Collaboration • Think systems change from the start. • Define a level of systems impact substantial enough to warrant ongoing contribution beyond the life of project funding • Develop your sustainability plan at the same time as your project plan, roll them out together 19

20. Step 4: Sustaining Collaboration Think Systems Change • Consider beginning this conversation concurrent with setting project goals and reaching consensus around sustainable outcome levels. • Work to establish a method to measure the systems impact of the project that is relevant to all contributing parties. • Discuss and define any terms or conditions associated with the resources identified as ongoing (i.e., funds/resources cannot be used on duplicative services, must be resource of last resort, etc). • Consider revisiting this topic on multiple occasions as the project is implemented, get updates, capture changes in the funding environment as they occur rather than as the project funding runs out. 20 20

21. 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. 21 21 21 21

22. Local-Level Interagency Committee Would your local area benefit from establishing an interagency committee? • Do directors/managers from varied service systems regularly communicate/interact? • Do staff from partner/community agencies come into the workforce centers with job seekers to access services? • Do workforce staff and varied service systems feel that the other is responsive, supportive and collaborative? • Are varied service systems blending, braiding, leveraging resources, services and/or funds? • Is the referral process seamless between workforce and varied service systems? Do customers think that it is?

23. Local-LevelInteragency Committee Establishing an interagency team can strengthen systems partnership and collaboration. • Allows open forum for direct communication • Builds trust among many partners • Provides opportunity for cross education & training • Provides opportunity for many service systems to negotiate and coordinate resources, services and funding • Encourages agencies to be a part of the solutions • Provides forum for feedback to better meet the needs of job seekers with disabilities • Provides forum to share successes and improved outcomes

24. Role of DRC andInteragency Committee DRCs are ideally positioned to help establish interagency teams. • DRCs have good understanding of both disability and workforce systems and can serve as a bridge between both. • They can ‘connect the dots’ between varied service systems on broadly shared missions and outcome goals. • They can help drive the agendas of interagency teams by determining specific strategies and goals for the group. • DRCs can share the experiences and challenges of both job seekers accessing services and staff from varied service systems. • They can help identify promising practices, strategies and models.

25. Establishing an Interagency Committee The steps to establishing an interagency committee are similar to building collaboration with an individual partner or small group. • Step 1 - Reaching Consensus (internally) • Step 2 - Initiating Collaboration (externally) • Step 3 - Implementing Goals • Step 4 - Sustaining Collaboration

26. Initial Goals forInteragency Committees • Address physical, programmatic and communication access within workforce and partner systems • Streamline interagency referral processes and maximize resources • Work toward a service delivery model that defines customers and outcomes as shared • Coordinate job development and marketing approach to business • Targeting strategic service delivery components of DEI: • Partnerships and Collaboration • Integrating Resources and Services, Blending and Braiding funds, Leveraging Resources • Integrated Resource Team (IRT) approach • Asset Development • Youth

27. Summary • Building partnerships and collaboration at the local-level is an integral part of the DEI which can impact the implementation of other strategic service delivery components. • Considering the distinctions between networking and partnership and collaboration. • Considering re-evaluating interagency relationships with the goals and expected outcomes of your DEI Project. • Considering the stages of building interagency relationships, including reaching consensus within your own system before moving toward a closer level of partnership and collaboration. • Considering ways in which local-level interagency committees can strengthen systems relationships at the customer level. • Considering other ways that local DEI teams can guide and customer-level efforts in partnership and collaboration.

28. 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. 28 28 28 28

29. Contact Information • Brian Ingram Worksystems, Inc., OR bingram@worksystems.org (503)478-7317 • Jamie Robinson NDI Technical Assistance Team JRobinson@ndi-inc.org (860)344-0138