Working%20Across%20States%20and%20Stakeholders%20to%20Build%20Interagency%20Bridges%20for%20Youth

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Working Across States and Stakeholders to Build
Interagency Bridges for Youth
The IDEA Partnerships National Transition
Community of Practice

• PA Community on Transition Conference
• Thursday, July 21, 2005
• 1100 a.m. 1215, Room 203

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What is a Community of Practice?
Marty Kester, Consultant The IDEA Partnership
We are in this together
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The Communication Structure
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States participate in

• Monthly calls
• Face-face meetings
• Representative participation in State meetings
• Practice Groups
• Youth Engagement
• Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare
• Transportation

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What's Going on in New Hampshire

• A Youth Advocates Perspective

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What is Happening Now in NH?

• Coordinating Team now includes VR, Special Ed.,
  Mental Health, Youth, Families, LEA and regional
  representation
• Engaged in development of NH Disability Mentoring
  Day in October 2005
• Coordinating Team to focus on Transition CoP
  model development
• Special Education working to deliver SIG II
  Secondary Transition goals through CoP
• Discussing innovative ways in which to connect
  our youth members high school/college education
  to their participation in the CoP.

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NH Transition CoP What a Difference a Year
Makes!

• Cross-partnership work among agencies,
  organizations, youth and families has energized
  commitment to work together and to bring others
  aboard.
• Coordinating Team members invited to share work
  (and learn from others!) at national conferences
  and meetings
• State-to-State conference calls and participation
  in conferences has increased understanding of CoP
  model and how working in this way differs from
  typical ways of doing business
• Each partner is valuable and a key to our success
  as a community.
• Regular meetings and communication are essential
  to developing our Community of Practice.

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NHs Transition CoP Enters Year 2On Our Radar
Screen

• Focus on the development of Youth Leadership and
  Advocacy
• Get the word out and build understanding within
  agencies, organizations, LEAs, community
  resources
• Establish practice groups to address work to be
  done
• Establish NH community network in-state
  conference calls, list serves
• Secure meaningful partnerships with Juvenile
  Justice and Child Protection Agencies

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How is the Community of Practice Working within
Alabama?
We are in this together
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One Example The Prison Transition Initiative
Local Informs State

• Who Isnt There?
• State Decisions Influenced (those who can make
  change)
• Significant Impact

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How is the Community of Practice Working within
Arizona?
We are in this together
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Arizona

• Arizona History of community
• Agreements (IGAs and MOUs) between RSA and ADE to
  facilitate working with PEAs.
• Developed Local Transition Teams.
• Participated in a replication grant for Youth
  Transition Programs (YTP) with the state of
  Oregon, University of Oregon.
• Combined RSA and ADE Conference for Transition.
• Conference is now supported by Secure Education
  Committee and ASPAC (Higher Education). This year
  the Governors Council on Developmental
  Disabilities is an official sponsor as are DDD,
  PINS, and Department of Health Service Office of
  Children with Special Health Needs.
• AZ joined, as one of six states, in the Community
  of Practice efforts to become a community across
  multiple states.
• Expanded the IGA to include the Division of
  Developmental Disabilities.

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Arizona

• The partners that attend meetings every other
  month include AZ Board of Regents, AZ Charter
  School Association, AZ Commission for the Deaf
  and Hard of Hearing, AZ Department of
  Corrections, AZ Department of Commerce, AZ
  Department of Juvenile Corrections, AZ Office for
  Americans with Disabilities, AZ State Board for
  Charter Schools, AZ State Schools for the Deaf
  and Blind, AZ State University, Aspergers Parent
  Network, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Center for
  Academic Success, City of Scottsdale, Department
  of Health Services, Department of Economic
  Security, Department of Education Employers,
  Governors Council on Developmental Disabilities,
  Melmed Center, Mesa Community College, Parent
  Information Network, Pilot Parents of Southern
  AZ, College, Pima Community College, Raising
  Special Kids, Social Security Administration,
  Youth and Young Adults
• And we continue to ask, Who needs to be here.

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Arizona

• How it works in Arizona
• Meetings for the state level Arizona Transition
  Leadership Team are conducted every other month
  at various partners locations.
• Each meeting begins with a welcome to our new
  members.
• We take time for announcements on new and
  exciting activities and accomplishment from the
  attendees.
• Tasks at hand are accomplished to continue,
  develop and expand our process for our Community
  of Practice
• Strategic planning, facilitated by Mountain
  Plains Regional Resource Center, takes place.
• Committee work on the identified areas continues
  and documented for dissemination to the entire
  community.

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Arizona

• We continue work in four areas
• Initiating Systems Change,
• Developing Marketing Strategies,
• Developing a System for Continuous Change (Data
  Keeping) and
• Promoting Evidence-based Practices.
• www.ade.az.gov\ess\transitionservices\transitionin
  az\atlt

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Arizona

• During the Summit in Washington D.C., we
  identified state priorities which will be
  provided to our community on Friday, July 22,
  2005 for further development and application to
  committee work.
• Identify, promote and the provision of ongoing
  support for evidence-based practices,
• Initiate systems change through increased youth
  involvement in local teams,
• Disseminate information- building public
  awareness,
• Create a system for continuous change and
• Address the issue of sustainability of our
  community over time as we begin to lose some of
  our original partner representatives.
• We were able to pick the brains of experts
  which deepened our understanding and aided the
  development of these proposed priorities.

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Arizona

• Examples of success for our community of practice
  work
• Expanded Youth numbers, direct involvement and
  have provided a conference strand in our
  conference this September specifically for the
  Youth. The Youth said these are the topics they
  wanted to hear about.
• Recent RFP to serve Youth in the Foster Care
  system.
• Recent request from and individual to be a part
  of our community from our BIA community in
  Arizona.
• Juvenile Justice/Merging Two Worlds Curriculum is
  online now. Working on reintegration plans.
• Southwest Institute for Youth and Families, put
  on a summit related to Health Care needs.

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Arizona

• Youth direct participation has been a key feature
  to the Arizona efforts from the beginning.
• Chris McLaughlin will share his role as part of
  our Arizona Transition Leadership Team (ATLT)

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Arizona

• Giving Voice to the Future
• 2005 Transition Conference in Arizona
• September 20-22, 2005
• www.ade.state.az.us

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How is the Community of Practice Working within
California?
We are in this together
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California

• California Transition Summit June 23, 2005.
• Assistance and participation from the IDEA
  Partnership, NASDSE, and the Interagency
  Transition Community of Practice.

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California

• 325 participants
• Youth panel
• State example PA
• Topical groups Employment, Community Living,
  Postsecondary options, Cross-state learning
• Planning next steps

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Participants Feedback in CaliforniaWhat interest
you in the community of practice approach?

• Top responses
• Turning idea into action (100)
• Helping systems to become permanently more
  collaborative with practitioners and consumers
  (87)
• Helping systems to become permanently more
  collaborative with each other (83)
• Building a communication system that will grow
  and sustain (83)

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Participants Feedback in CaliforniaIn what kind
of activities would you like to participate?

• Top responses
• Using a transition community website (82)
• Attending a cross-agency/consumer training on
  transition issues (79)
• Attending regional cross-agency/consumer
  conference (74)
• Joining a transition community list serve (70)

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How is the Community of Practice Working within
Pennsylvania?
We are in this together
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Moving from the Old Way of Doing Business
Separate Pages in Separate Books to being on the
Same Page

• Professional Development
• Policy Regulation Development
• Strategic Planning
• Service Delivery Systems
• Program Initiatives Allocation of Resources
• Data Collection

Dept. of Public Welfare
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The Shift From Isolated, Single Agency
Activities to Cross-Systems Efforts
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A Shared Vision Foundation for our Future

• All PA youth and young adults with disabilities
  will
• successfully transition to the role of
  productive, participating adult citizens
• be empowered to recognize their talents,
  strengths and voice
• have equal access to resources that will promote
  full participation in the communities of their
  choice.

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How does the Community of Practice Work within
Virginia?
We are in this together
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Virginia

• Expand Virginia Intercommunity Transition
  Council to have all participating member agencies
  develop MOU through CoP.
• Strengthen working relationships with DJJ, DRS
  DOE through CoP.
• Continue Professional Development by providing
  joint agency trainings

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Virginia Future Goals

• Joint Professional Development
• Aligning the IEP with the IPE
• 21st Annual VA Transition Forum
• March 20-22, 2005
• Increase youth Involvement at all levels local,
  state and federal.

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Virginia Future Goals

• Work through the National Governors Academy to
  increase graduation rates and entrance to and
  retention in higher education.
• Improve use of technology
• Increase awareness of need for documentation
  within higher education

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Bringing Together Federal, State, and Local
Partners, through our Collaborative Work
We are in this together
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Together we can

• Improve Youth Outcomes
• Work smarter
• Make efficient use of limited resources and staff
  resources
• Decrease duplication of efforts, through
  collaboration
• Expand knowledge across agencies
• Share the vision of youth with disabilities as
  productive, self-sufficient citizens living in
  their community.

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• Coming together is a beginning, staying together
  is progress, and working together is success.
• Henry Ford

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Discussion
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The IDEA Partnership

• More information on the Interagency Transition
  Community and other Cross-State/Cross Role
  Communities is now available at
• www.ideainfo.org
• or call us toll free at
• 1-877- IDEAINFo