Secondary Transition: Interagency Collaboration

1
Secondary Transition Interagency Collaboration

• Clayton Rees, YTP Coordinator, OVRS
• Jackie Burr, Sec. Trans. Coordinator, ODE

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What is Collaboration?

• Collaboration is a process to reach
• goals that cannot be achieved acting
• singly (or, at a minimum,
• cannot be reached efficiently).
• As a process, collaboration is a means to an end,
  not an end to itself.
• The desired end is more comprehensive and
  appropriate services that improve outcomes for
  students, families, teachers, communities, or
  other stakeholders who have a vested interest in
  the outcome. (deFur 1999)

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Examples of Collaboration?

• Exactly what is collaboration anyway? How do bees
  do it?
• ? Networking
• ? Coordination
• ? Cooperation
• ? Collaboration.
• There is no single right way to approach
  collaborative relationships the structure will
  depend on how close both parties are willing to
  get.
• Cultural issues.

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• Collaboration Kenneth Crow, DRM Associates 2002.
  By permission.

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Collaboration Process for Secondary Transition

• Independent agencies function as one entity with
  problem-solving, sharing and merging of
  resources.
• Agencies interact on regular basis for shared
  decision-making, accountability trust.
• Jointly scheduled activities planning time
  exist

• Assisting youth to gain access to services,
• IEP teams identify range of services available in
  community and can make referrals to other
  agencies

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Models of Collaboration

• Sources of funding come from three federal laws
• the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  (IDEA),
• Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA),
  and
• the Vocational Rehabilitation Act,
• Programs that serve youth can often function in
  isolation because the funding comes from separate
  federal agencies causing a disconnect between
  agencies and put education and human service
  agencies at odds with each other when trying to
  serve youth in transition.
• Models of Collaboration and Cost Sharing in
  Transition Programming National Center on
  Secondary Education and Transition January 2007
  Vol. 6, Issue 1

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Strategies for Collaboration

• School Districts
• pool resources to achieve common goals
• Cost sharing
• Work as a consortium
• ODE/OVRS
• Interagency Agreements
• Shared training
• Collaborative efforts to secure additional monies

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• Groups form strong partnerships by engaging in
  four increasingly complex activities
• networking,
• coordination of services,
• cooperation, and finally,
• collaboration.
• Collaborative groups, because of formal
  relationships, often enter into written
  contractscalled interagency agreementsthat are
  designed to maximize resources for transitioning
  youth

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Federal Requirements

• Rehab Act as amended The state plan shall
  contain plans, policies, and procedures for
  coordination that are designed to
  facilitytransition of students with
  disabilities.This requires a formal interagency
  agreement with the State education agency.

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IDEA

• Ensure that an interagency agreement is in
  effect between other public agencies, in order to
  ensure that all services that are needed to
  ensure a free and appropriate public education
  are provided.

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Cooperative AgreementOVRS and ODE

• Purpose Cooperate in activities leading to a
  successful transition for students with
  disabilities from a free, appropriate public
  education to engagement in appropriate
  post-secondary career-related training and
  employment activities.

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OVRS shall provide

• Policy and/or procedural changes
• Program Coordinator
• TA on eligibility and provision of transition
  services
• Procedures for release of client information to
  SD
• A specific local counselor for SD

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OVRS shall provide

• Training to all field counselors on their role
  in
• Outreach activities for 504 students
• Working with SD to prepare students for careers
• Participation in transition planning (IEPs)
• Developing IPEs
• Collaboration in systems change grants and
  legislation

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OVRS shall provide--

• Annual in-service training
• Disseminate information
• Collaboration in local community planning
• Share data with ODE
• Problem Solve with ODE
• Share information to the SACSE

15
ODE shall provide

• Information to SD re services provided by OVRS
  (YTP, Supported Employment)
• A representative on the OVRS State Rehabilitation
  Council
• Encouragement for SD to provide point of contact
  for field staff
• Collaborate in systems change
• grants and legislation

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ODE shall provide

• Assign an education specialist to facilitate
  linkages between SD and OVRS
• TA on how to identify eligible students for OVRS
  services
• Procedure for release of information
• Identify strategies for SWD requiring long-term
  support
• Work with OVRS on IPEs

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ODE shall provide

• Annual inservice
• Information to OVRS re vocational training
  programs, approved private education programs and
  accredited post-secondary schools.
• Information to OVRS State Rehabilitation Council

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Other Federal Legislation

• Title I of the Workforce Investment Act
• Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology
  Education Amendments of 1998
• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
• Act as amended
• Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement
  Act of 1999.

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Resources

• Transition Planning A Team Effort, Sharon H.
  DeFur (1999 Jan) http//nichcy.org
• Cooperative Agreement Between the Oregon
  Department of Human Services and the Oregon
  Department of Education (2007-2009).
• 
  

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Contact Information

• Clayton Z. Rees
• YTP Coordinator
• Department of Human Services
• Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services
• [phone]
• [phone] ext 354

• Jackie Burr
• Secondary Transition Coordinator
• Department of Education
• Office of Student Learning and Partnerships
• 503-947-5319