COLLABORATION    Conclusions/Recommendations

Specific Mechanisms for Involving Consumers/Families/Communities
    2) The local business plan delineates a process that supports and encourages collaboration among community agencies and organizations.

Most plans cite present collaboration efforts and provide a list of established committees or point to the CFAC as a mechanism for collaboration. It is not always clear what the purpose of the collaboration is and how information will be used. Some plans identified ways to enhance collaboration, for example, scheduling meetings at convenient times.

Piedmont will establish an Office of Prevention, Education, and Outreach to coordinate across agencies and community groups. Crossroads will establish an interagency consortium with specific roles and responsibilities. Mecklenburg provided a good list of indicators of successful collaboration.

Plan for Identifying, Developing, and Managing Information Services & Resources
3) The local business plan describes how the LME will identify, build on, develop and manage a network of informal services and resources necessary to provide the foundation for individualized support and community integration at the consumer, family and community level.

Most plans cited efforts to establish some sort of directory of community resources and referral system. Few seemed to recognize the considerable resources needed to maintain and implement such a system. Some plans indicated a role for the CFAC in this effort. Overall, however, there was little discussion of building a full network of informal services across a wide range of interests and topic areas. Rather, there was a more traditional focus on non-human service community agencies and groups. Ways of using natural community supports to maximize community inclusion were not really explored.

Collaboration Conclusions/Recommendations:
Collaboration, including collaboration with natural community supports, should be seen as an important component of system quality improvement. We applaud the efforts of those programs that have made a commitment to dedicate staff and resources to make this an integral part of their system operations.