Challenge and Opportunity:

1

• Challenge and Opportunity
• A Service Integration Model to Build, Modify and
  Sustain Programs and Services for Children and
  Families
• Dawn Ganje
• Consultant, Marketing Management
• Colleen MacRae
• Coordinator, Polk County Collaborative
• September 29, 2006

2
Collaboration

• Collaboration..
• 1 to work joint with others in an intellectual
  endeavor 2 to cooperate with or willingly assist
  an enemy of ones country 3 to cooperate with
  an agency or instrumentality with which one is
  not immediately connected

3
What is the NW MN Council of Collaboratives?

• 45 Member Agencies
• 20 School Districts, Special Education Districts,
  Community Action Programs, Community Corrections,
  County Government, Mental Health, Human Services,
  Law Enforcement, and Public Health agencies
• Mission Statement..
• The Northwest Minnesota Council of Collaboratives
  is a coalition of public and private agencies
  working together to improve the lives of children
  and families in northwest Minnesota.

4
Context in Which We Deliver Services

• Geographic service area is 6,127 square miles of
  Northwestern Minnesota
• Population density average is 9.2 people per
  square mile
• Declining population due to fewer employment
  opportunities and smaller family size
• Decline in small businesses with resulting longer
  distances to big retail centers
• High elderly population
• Natural Disasters - Red River Valley Flooding of
  1997, 2002 and portions annually
• Increase in methamphetamine production and usage

5
Challenges to Service Delivery in Rural Areas

• Distances covered to access services
• Lack of public transportation
• Misperceptions of rural living
• Dependence on use of technology which is not
  always reliable/cost effective
• Community perceptions/acceptability of utilizing
  services
• Ability to hire/retain qualified professionals
• Mobility of residents
• Weather

6
Catalyst for Change

• What event (tragic or magic) naturally brings
  stakeholders together?
• Take the lead identify the center of community
• Assess which partner(s) needs to be at the table
  and start the conversation
• When a problem extends beyond the boundaries of
  a single organization and involves others,
  solutions require activity across and on the
  edge of the organizational boundaries.
• L.K. Bradshaw

7

• Define a vision, focus and purpose for coming
  together

• Engage leaders
• Identify rules of engagement (set ground rules
  and expectations)
• Eliminate barriers to participation
• Begin developing a plan

To a Leader, the needs of the future take
precedence over the demands of the present.

- Carl Neu
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Management Structure
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Communicate

• Regular Meetings
• Coordination of Effort
• Enhanced communications
• Teleconferencing
• Relationships beyond our region
• www.councilofcollaboratives.org
• www.nwmnconnections.org

10
Strategies

• Collaboration/partnership development
• Website development and usage
• Use of incentive programs for qualified
  professionals
• Distance Learning
• Localized trainings
• Utilizing Federal, State and Foundation technical
  assistance and materials
• Business and faith-based sponsorships
• Integrated Systems of Care
• Regionalization and localization of Service
  Delivery
• Increased cultural competency
• Multiple roles

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Culturally Competent

• Do your homework to find out about the culture
  of your proposed partners
• Identify commonalities in vision
• Identify similarities and dissimilarities in
  business approach
• Speak the same language

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Resource Mapping

• Identify gaps, resources, needs
• Determine where duplication of effort occurs
• Plan ways to streamline activities
• Develop goals, activities and outcomes
• Identify strategies to carry out the work
• Develop a work-plan that accurately reflects
  strategies, timelines, people responsible,
  indicators of success

13
Utilize local and national resource on best
practices

• Conduct web and literary searches for
  best-practices and promising practices
• Ask questions
• Learn from those who have been through similar
  experiences

14
Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate

• Work with an independent evaluator
• Develop a logic model that measures process and
  outcomes
• Report findings in a format applicable for a
  variety of stakeholders
• Take further action, as necessary

15
Share the Challenges

• A wounded partner is a partner in need
• Share in the risks
• Address a community-wide response

16
Succession Planning

• Plan
• Recruit
• Interview
• Select
• Orientation

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Celebrate!

• Celebrate the opportunities
• Celebrate the milestones
• Celebrate the mistakes
• Celebrate the accomplishments

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• Developing partnerships throughout a community
  supporting key stakeholders including schools,
  law enforcement, public health, mental health,
  corrections, social-services, community action
  programs, government, children and families for
  immediate and long-term benefits.
• Find a catalyst that calls your leaders to action
• Identify community and stakeholders within that
  community
• Define a vision, focus and purpose for coming
  together
• Clarify rules of engagement
• Be culturally competent
• Employ resource mapping for assessment and
  strategic planning purposes
• Utilize national resources
• Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate
• Share in the challenges
• Celebrate the opportunities, milestones and
  accomplishments

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Contact Information

• Colleen MacRae
• Polk County Collaborative
• 218-281-3940
• cmacrae_at_nwmhc.org
• Dawn Ganje
• Marketing Management
• 218-784-3790
• mdganje_at_loretel.net