Collaboration in the Human Services arena:

The goal is for the Gladwin Human Services Coordinating Body to be informed

of the needs of the community, to study problem areas, prioritize, plan, and 

implement changes to improve outcomes (quality of life) for children and families.  To accomplish this a broad based group of local stakeholders, decision-makers, must collaborate

to change the way prevention and treatment services are planned and delivered

Collaboration means the stakeholders share a common vision for the future,

common goals, the risks, resources, and the outcomes.  This means the

decision-makers stand ready to modify policies and procedures that impede 

collaboration.

Collaboration is much more than cooperation.  Cooperation means the partners

agree to work together to meet their individual goals without substantially

changing the services provided or modifying policies and regulations.  With

collaboration, agencies plan together, not separately.

Principles of collaboration:

• Family needs cut across agency boundaries
• Regular local problem solving
• Children are a community, not agency, responsibility
• Planning must be done with consumers

Without collaboration we may end up doing lots of ‘things”, but will they be the

“right things”?  Without collaboration our community may well not be getting 

a good “bang for the buck.”

Highlights from the Collaboration Initiative Agreement

         the Human Services Coordinating Body with special attention to the promotion and the

        facilitation of prevention services.

 2.     Services Collaborative Body which will progress from interagency networking to collaborative planning, 

         and service delivery.  The planning will involve a comprehensive, data-based, systemic approach.  

 3.    The initiative will progress toward systems reform.

 5.     Human Services Coordinating Body members collaborate to accomplish the objectives of 

        state-sponsored collaborative initiatives directed at Systems Reform, identify local prevention

        priorities, study priority issues/problems from a systemic perspective, develop data-based

        action plans intended to reduce future incidence of problems, and implement action plan

        recommendations.

        recommendations intended to improve outcomes for children and families and reduce future 

        incidence of problems. 

        the Human Services Coordinating Body.

        Services Coordinating Body and its prevention agenda.  The Human Services Coordinating Body

        and prevention coordinator will discuss and set priorities for the allocation of the prevention 

        coordinator’s time.

        will complete evaluation feedback tasks as requested by the Department of Community Health.