1. Human Services Integration Building More Effective Responses to Peoples’ Needs

2. Shared commitment to improve services to people Ask yourself some hard questions: Are we all committed to improving services for the people we serve? Where are we doing our best work? Are all the needs to which we could respond being dealt with? Where - and how - are we falling short of what we could be doing?

3. As you start to answer these questions, it is important to: Start talking across traditional program lines Start considering what parts of the organization need to be involved in a larger conversation Share information Develop a clear picture of what is happening now - including the view from people using services Determine what is getting in the way of better meeting peoples’ needs Share information/ describe what exists Shared commitment to improve services to people

4. With a good picture of what is happening now, focus in on the system: What are the key elements of the system Physically map the system Determine who needs to be involved in building the future (planning, implementation and evaluation) Remember that the broader the engagement, the more effective (and probably easier) the implementation Determine system boundaries and who needs to be involved Share information/ describe what exists Shared commitment to improve services to people

5. Shared mission, vision, values and language If you are going to work together to a common end, you will need to: Build a shared vision and mission Determine which pieces of building that vision belong where in the system Identify differences and work to build shared values Pay attention to differences in language – and develop a common vocabulary Determine system boundaries and who needs to be involved Share information/ describe what exists Shared commitment to improve services to people

6. Build awareness of challenges, opportunities and commonalities Do we share the same understanding of what the issues, challenges, opportunities and commonalities are? If not, what do we need to do in order to build this shared understanding? Once we have a shared understanding, where do we go from here and how do we get there? Shared mission, vision, values and language Determine system boundaries and who needs to be involved Share information/ describe what exists Shared commitment to improve services to people

7. How will we work together? Network? Cooperate? Coordinate? Collaborate? They are not the same thing… Build awareness of challenges, opportunities and commonalities Shared mission, vision, values and language Determine system boundaries and who needs to be involved Share information/ describe what exists Shared commitment to improve services to people

8. Working Together – But How? NetworkingCooperationCoordinationCollaboration Build understanding; support and enhance individual efforts Match needs and resources; reduce duplication; task-oriented; informal problem solving Share resources to get tasks done; create something new in an existing system Shared vision / goals; create new system; engages creativity in significant ways Low conflict; little decision- making Central team as communication centre ; seeks to influence decision- makers Central team; defined roles; team participates in decision-making in various ways Consensus driven decision-making team; roles, resources and evaluation are formalized (e.g., written MoU’s and contracts)

9. NetworkingCooperationCoordinationCollaboration No low-key leadership Leaders are facilitators; formal communication within the team Autonomous leadership focused on achieving the goal High leadership skills; high trust levels; highly developed communication; mutual accountability Minimal skills, support or resourcing required; variable time Medium level skills, support and resources; variable time Some skills at high level; high support; variable resources; medium to high time High time; complex skills; high levels of support; variable resources Adapted from “A Review of Collaborative Relationships Between Government Agencies and Community Organisations”, Bob Williams: http://users.actrix.co.nz/bobwill (Last accessed on April 24, 2008)http://users.actrix.co.nz/bobwill

10. Evaluate Did we achieve outcomes? What do we have to do differently? Networking? Cooperation? Coordination? Collaboration? Having decided how to work together, begin a cycle of planning, implementing and evaluating and more planning, implementing and evaluating, etc. Plan: What outcomes? (from shared vision) What steps to achieve these outcomes? Implement Build awareness of challenges, opportunities and commonalities Shared mission, vision, values and language Determine system boundaries and who needs to be involved Share information/ describe what exists Shared commitment to improve services to people

11. Test projects Planning, implementing and evaluating what? Processes Structures Policies Governance Co-location

12. What Might it Look Like? Realigned job functions – expanded mandates Integrated case management Single point access – integrated intake Shared / integrated IT Shared / common outcome measures Cross-function planning and management Blended/braided funding Co-location Realigned governance structures

13. Evaluate Did we achieve desired outcomes? What do we have to do differently? Plan: What outcomes? (from shared vision) What steps to achieve these outcomes? Implement Networking? Cooperation? Coordination? Collaboration? Shared mission, vision, values and language Determine system boundaries and who needs to be involved Share information/ describe what exists Shared commitment to improve services to people Build awareness of challenges, opportunities and commonalities Test projects? Processes? Structures? Policies? Governance? Locations?

14. Current Committee Initiatives New partner at the table – SHSC Member survey about what CMSMs and DSSABs are doing Use of survey data to create searchable data base available on-line Building resource library Coaching project Consultation to the field Promotion