collaborations for children and youth: what works! graham clyne, ma director, the calgary...
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Collaborations for Children and Youth: What Works!
Graham Clyne, MA
Director, The Calgary Children’s Initiative
Collaboration for Preschool Development Learning Event • November 29th
The Many Faces of Childhood Well-BeingNovember 30th 2007, Edmonton AB
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Sparrow Lake Alliance Symposium on Successful Collaborations
150 Professionals and leaders from different sectors – an all volunteer organization
Committed to healthier child/youth outcomes through improved service integration and system change
Host an Annual Conference, Specific Symposiums – Creating Reports / Recommendations
Important cross sector networking and partnership opportunities for leaders with shared values
What Works? – Four Community Stories of Success
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What Works? Big Picture Findings
There is no single way forward – no formula
There are common features and descriptors of effective collaborative partnerships
Specific best practice behaviours are evident - among people, partners, agencies, and funders
There are – and should be – tangible benefits for every collaborator
Funding is not the driver behind successful community collaborations
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Common Elements of Success Create a Vision with Big Ideas….
Easily shared – overarching and inclusive
Speaks to the aspirations of partner organizations and the broader community
Creates latitude for future action, greater responsiveness
Adds the potential to engage other “different” partners
Revisiting the Vision is helpful when you struggle
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Common Elements of Success
Work with the Willing…
Partners who are ready to go – who buy into the vision
Partners who see a “fit” with their organizational goals
Make an effort to be inclusive – but don’t wait
Create some immediate or short term wins
Remember:
Partners and their level of participation will change
Merits of the work will enlarge/change the partners
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Common Elements of Success
Innovative Leaders….
Styles that are open to risk taking and change
Leaders that “see” and understand issues systemically
People who are not “pre-occupied” with compliance
Creativity should be strongly encouraged
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Common Elements of Success
Partners as Navigators….
Able to openly share the limits and constraints of their organizations
Helping to identify where / how strategies might fit with organizational imperatives
Communicating the partners messages in their own organizations
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Building Momentum….
A launch event, local or external / expert “call to action”
Celebrate any small early successes
Describe the “value” created to any of the partners
Tell the story of children and families who have benefited from the new way of doing business
Common Elements of Success
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Common Elements of SuccessIt’s all About People….
Provide time for personal and social networking
Facilitate professional connections / opportunities
Maximize face time esp. early in the process
Share leadership opportunities among all the partners – regardless of size
Demonstrate / verbalize your trust in one another
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Common Elements of SuccessCareful Maintainance is Required….
Collaboratives are dynamic and evolve over time
Open communication is critical - at all levels
Absence of problems: does not mean things are fine
Opportunities are brought to and shared with the group
The “tipping point” - “we” becomes commonly used to describe “our” work
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Best Practices Among Partners
How did agencies and their representatives participate?
What behaviours seemed common among successful collaboratives?
What actions and strategies sustained the partnership?
Where does leadership come from?
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Best Practices Among Partners
Make it Local….
Critical to adapt to local circumstances
Frameworks are modified as needed
Plans change when opportunities arise
Groups are not reluctant to “push back”
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Best Practices Among Partners
Building commitment….
Personal and organizational commitment are both needed
Cultures differ: how is your organizations best engaged?
Communication vehicles and specific strategies required
Tell / Sell the benefits to each organization
Use your partners – cross board presentations
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Best Practices Among PartnersBe and Stay Flexible….
Avoid elaborate written protocols / policies
Big vision, clear principles, loose framework
Be driven by principles – not policies
Build a culture that values and celebrates innovation
Remember the Big Vision whenever you need to
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Best Practices Among Partners
Resource Implications….
Share what you can, whenever you can
Make a Commitment – then figure out how
Redeploy your resources and try new things
Collaborative work should not be an add on – something should drop off the table
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Best Practices Among Partners
Resource Implications….
Share what you can, whenever you can
Make a Commitment – then figure out how
Redeploy your resources and try new things
Collaborative work should not be an add on – something should drop off the table
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Best Practices Among Partners
Just Get Going....
Communities need to lead – not funders
Process is fine – but its not an outcome
Anticipate, create a problem solving culture
Ready Aim Fire vs. Ready Fire Aim Aim Aim
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The Benefits of Collaboration
Key Assumptions….
These will vary by community and agency
Incentives / benefits tend to be quite specific
Membership should have its privileges
Many benefits occur “away from the table”
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The Benefits of Collaboration
Better Outcomes for children, youth, families
New information / new insights / better data
Opportunities to Learn / Revisit your assumptions
Collective responses to silo issues are preferable
Shared funding opportunities where partners are needed
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The Benefits of Collaboration
Mutual Support / Peer Support network of colleagues
Opportunities for staff to learn, grow and innovate
Piggy Backing and Resource Sharing
There are notable synergies e.g. Able to do more, better
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Governments and Funders
Create Incentives – use both carrots and sticks
A loose framework, principles, intended outcomes
Support the process piece – can be time consuming
Research / Best Practice support – Challenge the group to reach for excellence
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Governments and Funders
Participation should always be voluntary
Support community funding decisions
Co-conspirators! Lets try new approaches
Model the service integration / collaboration you seek in communities
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The Role of FundingFunding if necessary, but not necessarily….
Can be divisive – especially during service shortfalls
Resources for the process – can be helpful
Small, flexible, funding to solve early problems
Vision and directions should attract funding
Partners will bring funding opportunities to the group
Note: Funding was not considered as a dependant variable in the success of any collaborative projects
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Evaluating Your Collaborative Using these findings….
Review the SLA results (sparrowlakealliance.org)
Turn the applicable findings into statements (e.g. We have a communications strategy for each partner to build organizational commitment)
Have members score themselves, their organization and the collaborative against these statements (1-10)
Discuss the similarities and differences in results – Strategize!