Northwest Minnesota Council of Collaboratives
InCommons Collaboration Challenge
Northwest Minnesota Council of Collaboratives
The N.W. Minnesota Council of Collaboratives is a unique, innovative partnership of seven county governments, 32 child-serving organizations (social services, public health, mental health, law enforcement, corrections, community action programs), 25 school districts and families in N.W. Minnesota.
The Collaborative formed to address the educational, physical, mental and emotional needs of children, adolescents, young adults and their families who experience tremendous pressures as the region struggles to rebuild after repeated flooding, a deepening farm crisis and declining financial and human resources.
School districts and service providers recognized that in order to meet the burgeoning needs of its communities, they needed to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness within and between counties, improve administration of existing programs, increase the level of working relationships between counties, providers, schools and families while reducing costs and improving the quality, frequency and location of services offered.
Each partner agreed that it would be more effective to work together as a collective, across disciplines and county lines to achieve a coordinated, efficient, cost-effective strategy to address the needs of area residents than by working alone. The Northwest Minnesota Council of Collaboratives is able to address a variety of needs of children and families including violence prevention, chemical, mental and physical health, early childhood care, education, family stabilization, emergency preparedness, disaster response and school safety.
About You
About You
First Name
Colleen
Last Name
MacRae
Country
United States, MN
About Your Organization
Organization
Northwestern Mental Health Center on behalf of NW MN Council of Collaboratives
Organization Website
Organization Phone
218-281-3940
Organization Address
603 Bruce Street, Crookston, MN 56716
Organization Country
United States, MN, Polk County
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Your Story
Collaboration Title
Northwest Minnesota Council of Collaboratives
Country your work focuses on
United States, MN, Polk County
Describe your locally-based collaboration and the problem it sought to address
The N.W. Minnesota Council of Collaboratives is a unique, innovative partnership of seven county governments, 32 child-serving organizations (social services, public health, mental health, law enforcement, corrections, community action programs), 25 school districts and families in N.W. Minnesota.
The Collaborative formed to address the educational, physical, mental and emotional needs of children, adolescents, young adults and their families who experience tremendous pressures as the region struggles to rebuild after repeated flooding, a deepening farm crisis and declining financial and human resources.
School districts and service providers recognized that in order to meet the burgeoning needs of its communities, they needed to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness within and between counties, improve administration of existing programs, increase the level of working relationships between counties, providers, schools and families while reducing costs and improving the quality, frequency and location of services offered.
Each partner agreed that it would be more effective to work together as a collective, across disciplines and county lines to achieve a coordinated, efficient, cost-effective strategy to address the needs of area residents than by working alone. The Northwest Minnesota Council of Collaboratives is able to address a variety of needs of children and families including violence prevention, chemical, mental and physical health, early childhood care, education, family stabilization, emergency preparedness, disaster response and school safety.
Tell us about the community in which this collaboration took place
This collaboration includes residents in Kittson, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk and Red Lake Counties, The White Earth Reservation and Red Lake Nation. It is a rural/frontier region of 76,00 people over 7,300 square miles with approximately 9 people per square mile. There are higher than average rates of poverty and teen pregnancies and youth use of alcohol, tobacco and chemicals.
Issue Selector
n/a
Partnership
Who was involved in co-creating or implementing your collaboration (other organizations, leaders, community members, etc.)?
Chief Executive Officers of child-serving agencies, county offcials, and School Superintendents began discussions 10 years ago. Staff were appointed to assist in implementing collaborative strategies. Most recently, families and youth have been assisting in the implementation of a comprehensive system of care model with faith-based partners poised to join the efforts in the near future.
To what extent does your collaboration involve partnerships that are outside or cross traditional organizational or sector boundaries?
The Collaborative deliberately sought partners across sector boundaries for the greatest impact. Historically, child-serving organizations, government and schools did not work frequently with each other. Now, the cross-discipline, cross-sector partners work together in non-traditional settings with the addition of families and youth in a family-driven, youth-guided approach that is successful.
Innovation
What makes your locally-based collaboration innovative and unique?
The Collaborative is not a stand-alone organization but a partnership to which members pay a small annual fee that provides them with an array of services to carry out their collective business. Their philosophy is that they come together to provide services for the greater good of the community. They have an increased awareness and understanding about the challenges, opportunities and impacts that each partner faces and the way each conducts “business”. This allows them to be creative in working together to meet multiple needs of children and families across the region. Monthly they identify and address issues challenging youth and families while continually improving services. They improve ways of working together, across disciplines, while meeting the needs and mandates of each. Examples include: provision of school-based mental health; an array of multi-disciplinary workforce development opportunities; services offered during non-traditional hours/settings (evenings and weekends in homes and community); cross-jurisdictional first responder agreements across county lines to aid in response time; consumers and families being given the lead in planning their own care.
Did you take risks in establishing this collaboration? Explain
There was some concern about losing individuality, unique attributes, voice and money in favor of another or feeling pressed to pursue activities they did not want. Principles of Cooperation successfully address these concerns. Some partners act as fiscal host and take risks on behalf of all partners when assuming roles and responsibilities with funding agents when grants are received.
How did this collaboration differ from the normal way of doing your work?
Historically, school districts did not look to child-serving agencies to provide services and Law Enforcement did not work closely with schools or other agencies. Oganizations worked alone and did not cross paths unless an emergency arose. This collaboration changed the way schools and service providers now work together with families to seek each other out in planning and providing services.
Impact
How do you know your collaboration has been effective?
1. Child-serving agencies report decreased duplication with overall cost savings.
2. Youth and families report increased satisfaction with services, better attendance in school, less out-of-home placements and better family stability.
3. The Council originally started with partners from six counties. In July 2010 another county, two school districts and three child-serving agencies joined.
4. Requests are received from local, state and national associations and federal departments to present this model to others.
5. The Council has received several awards for its work.
6. The Council has generated additional financial resources and services for the region and participated in nine grants together.
7. The Collaborative website maintains usage of 1,000 unique users each week.
What progress or impact has been made?
The inclusion of youth and families as key decision-makers in their own care changes the way service providers operate and the services they provide. Increased awareness between partners increases cultural competency. There are relationships between partners that did not previously exist. Families are empowered to serve on decision-making boards and partners welcome them as experts-in-the-field
Next Steps
How would you go about continuing, expanding, or replicating this collaboration?
The Collaborative is very interested in replicating and expanding this model with faith-based organizations, community businesses, health care, insurance companies and the media. The next phase of development is a review of challenges and successes and the formation of a strategic plan to draw together the additional array of partners to include these and any group or organization that impacts the life of children and families in our region. Additionally, partners will work with legislators to effect policy changes that impact resource allocations.
The Collaborative also wishes to continue educating others at the local, state and national level about this model as well as generating a series of webinars and training tools as part of its sustainability planning. Additionally, Collaborative partners wish to engage in succession planning with youth, families and staff so that emerging leaders are mentored to assume key leadership roles.
A digital archive of materials, lessons learned, strategies, evaluation results and consumer feedback will be developed as part of the legacy of this model of collaboration. A series of articles for publication will also be offered.
Describe the current stage of implementation and desired next steps
Partners of the N.W. Minnesota Council of Collaboratives have been engaged in a 10 year journey and have a solid working model of a successful collaboration. They embraced typical collaborative processes that usually surface in any relationship. Their path included: 1) identifying a need to come to the table to discuss common issues and needs about children and families in the region; 2) learning about each other’s organizations, ways of conducting business, limitations and opportunities; 3) identifying potential partners to aid in achieving their common goals; 4) identifying roles and responsibilities of membership; 5) identifying goals, strategies and workplans; 6) officially organizing a structured process, governance and committees; 7) assigning staff and resources to carry out plans 8) monitoring and providing oversight to activities; 9) accessing external resources; 10) evaluating progress and reporting back to the membership; 11) reassessing mission, vision, direction, level of success and revision/expansion of workplan; 12) establishing a reputation for excellence in achieving desired outcomes that makes the partnership mutually beneficial.
The next steps include:
1) reviewing challenges and successes to date
2) forming a stragetic plan to identify and draw in additional partners not currently represented such as faith-based, businesses, primary health care, insurance companies, media, etc
3) learning about new partners who join, identifying common goals and working together (revisiting some of the stages identified above)
4) continuing to support vision, mission and direction of Collaborative
5) providing leadership training and mentoring to emerging leaders
6) working with legislators to effect policy changes and resource allocations
7) continuing pursuits of additional funding opportunities
8) establishing a center of excellence for training others
9) defining and implementing a succession plan inclusive of youth, families, staff and community
10) developing a digital archive of materials, lessons learned, strategies, evaluation results and consumer feedback for use in perpetuity
11) evaluating and replicating successful strategies to address emerging needs that develop over time
12) repeating successful components of model, reassessing and realigning as needed
| 137 weeks ago Colleen MacRae updated this Competition Entry. | |
| 137 weeks ago Colleen MacRae updated this Competition Entry. | |
| 138 weeks ago Colleen MacRae submitted this idea. |
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