Ann Rosewater Defending Childhood Initiative Grantee Meeting Washington, DC January 26, 2011

1. FROM PATCHWORK TO TAPESTRY: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE COLLABORATIVE Ann Rosewater Defending Childhood Initiative Grantee Meeting Washington, DC January 26, 2011

2. LATESTCOLLABORATIVE REPORT ON CHILDREN EXPOSED TO VIOLENCE • Today, California Leadership Group on Domestic Violence and Child Wellbeing releasing first comprehensive report and recommendations • Addressing Domestic Violence, Child Safety and Well-being: Collaborative Strategies for California Families • Produced by voluntary affiliation of state and local public and private agencies • Report posted at www.cpedv.org Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

3. OVERVIEW What do we mean by collaboration? What are we collaborating for? How will effective collaboration emerge from your strategic plan? What are the principles? What are the elements?

4. COLLABORATION: BENEFITS AND BARRIERS Benefits Can’t achieve the results alone Expands expertise Stretches resources Barriers Professions, agencies, programs, resources siloed Not schooled to work as a team Not schooled to drive toward common outcomes

5. WHY COLLABORATE ABOUT CHILDREN EXPOSED TO VIOLENCE? • Exposure to violence has multiple effects on children: affects learning, social emotional development, physical and mental health • Can affect (or be triggered by) family relationships, school and peer relationships • Can affect (or be affected by) economic circumstances • May require protective or legal intervention, remedies Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

6. OVERVIEW OF COLLABORATIONS • In the strategic plan • In the design • In implementation • In measuring progress Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

7. COLLABORATION IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN • Agreement on a set of goals and outcomes • Agreement to suspend turf • Agreement on inclusion of partners • Agreement on rules of engagement Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

8. WHO SHOULD BE AT THE TABLE? • Organizations that touch children at risk in some way • Organizations that have leverage • Organizations that have the commitment and the will Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

9. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: SETTING A COLLABORATIVE CLIMATE • Do you understand each others roles, responsibilities? • Explore different histories, mandates • Identify who each organization is serving • Examine data to identify overlapping service populations? • Build understanding, respectful working relationships: • Myths, perceptions and facts • Shadowing • Take on a common project Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

10. COLLABORATION IN THE DESIGN • Agreement on design principles • About the children and families you serve: • Realizing that every child responds differently to trauma? • Keeping families together? • Empowering adult survivors? • Recognizing parents’ protective strategies? • Holding perpetrators accountable and seeking to change their behavior? Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

11. DESIGN PRINCIPLES: CALIFORNIA EXAMPLE • The best way to keep a child exposed to domestic violence safe is to keep her non-offending parent safe. • Respecting children’s developmental needs requires keeping safety paramount and ensuring that a child maintains a continuous relationship with a caring adult, preferably, the non-offending parent. • A non-offending parent should not be held responsible for the behavior of an offending partner. Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

12. COLLABORATION IN IMPLEMENTATION • Comprehensive, targeted, phased strategies • Array of services and supports • Gateways • Screening, risk and safety assessment • Parent and youth engagement • Staffing and professional development Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

13. COLLABORATION IN IMPLEMENTATION (CONTINUED) • Public understanding • Social norm change • Cultural sensitivity and competency • Financing • Accountability and evaluation Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

14. GETTING THE COLLABORATIVE’S WORK DONE • Communication • Administrative and logistical work • Meeting summaries and feedback • Workgroups • Neutral facilitator or rotating facilitator Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

15. SUSTAINABILITY OF THE COLLABORATIVE • Keep revisiting the purpose and goals of the collaborative • Stay at the table • Replenish participants in face of turnover • Orient new participants • Keep information flowing • Stabilize staffing and funding Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

16. INCREASE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING • What does the public know about children’s exposure to violence in your community? • Use polling, school climate surveys, other questionnaires to take the pulse • Develop campaigns to increase awareness, understanding of impact, importance of preventing children’s exposure to violence • Provide ways for public to take action Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

17. CHANGE SOCIAL NORMS • Identify community, school or family norms that promote, glorify violence • Develop strategies to make violence unacceptable • Program expectations • Codes of conduct • Examples of healthy relationships • Policy • “A School Policy to Increase Student Safety: Promote Healthy Relationships and Prevent Teen Dating Violence through Improved School Climate” Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

18. ACCOUNTABILTY AND EVALUATION • Requires regular data collection, analysis, dissemination • Set benchmarks and regularly report on progress to collaborative partners, public • Use personally identifiable data for diagnostic purposes, aggregate data to inform program and policy improvement • Respect confidentiality Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

19. TAKE AWAY MESSAGES • Preventing children’s exposure to violence demands broad partnership, persistence and passionate commitment • Collaboration is challenging but essential; tough economy poses challenges and opportunities • Find ways to do common work to make collaboration a habit of mind • Keep the goal front and center – healthy, safe children who can succeed in school and life Ann Rosewater 1.26.11

20. Ann Rosewater Strategic Policy and Planning Consultant 404.874.2430 annrosewater@comcast.net Ann Rosewater 1.26.11