Interagency Collaboration
Interagency Collaboration Competencies
Interagency Collaboration Summary
Interagency collaboration is a way to connect school districts with outside agencies that provide a variety of support for individuals with disabilities. The support provided can help students in the following areas: establishing natural supports, social skills and communication, self-advocacy and self-determination, self-confidence, independent living, employable skills, and even post-secondary education institutions. Think of interagency collaboration as a way of extending the student's support network to agencies that are connected to the school district either directly (local organizations) or indirectly (state-regulated organizations), formal or informal, (Morningstar and Clavenna-Deane 2018). Even post-high school, these agencies can still remain as supportive networks so that students can achieve optimal post-school success. Whether or not students receive the utmost benefit from agencies primarily depends on the relationships and linkages established by school districts. This is mainly dependent on teachers, transition coordinators/specialists, and administrative staff to ensure positive collaboration between agencies. This domain will highlight the connection between intra-agency with interagency within school and postschool. Intra-agency are individuals and group within the school district: families, individuals with disabilities, as well as general and special educators. Interagency is between two or more organizations: employers, community service providers, and school personnel (Mazzotti and Rowe, 2015). The artifacts provided in this domain demonstrate the collaboration of students, families, school districts, and organizations within the following areas: Networking and Coordination, and Cooperation and Collaboration (Morningstar and Clavenna-Deane, 2018).
Networking and Coordination
When thinking about interagency collaboration, think of a support network. To extend this even further, let's take a look at the prefixes inter- and intra-. Inter simply means between or among two or more groups. Intra is defined as within one group. So interagency collaboration is the collaboration between two or more companies/organizations while intra-agency collaboration is the collaboration within the school district. Intra-agency services should be identified with families during the initial transition planning process so they can identify support services that the school district already provides. In order for students and their families to fully understand the purpose and benefits of interagency collaboration and thus begin receiving services, they must be fully aware and knowledgeable of the local, state-wide, and federal agencies (Mazzotti and Rowe, 2015). This process only works effectively and efficiently when using a "First, Then" model: First, educators and transition coordinators should receive a training or possibly hold a meeting about (and possibly with, if applicable) the interagencies within the community, around the state, and nationally. Then, educators and transition coordinators should introduce the information to students and their families (Noonan et al., 2012). The following artifacts follow the model stated above by first understanding how to implement collaboration regarding the indicator 13 compliance (see domain 1) via a presentation provided by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), and also understanding how to seamlessly transition youth with disabilities through interagency collaboration via a presentation by Mary Morningstar using the Transition Coalition website. Then, students and their families will be introduced to interagency collaboration by receiving a sample invitation to a transition fair where local and even state-wide companies will explain their purpose, mission, and the services provided. Students and their families will also receive the community resource guide that includes local, state-wide, and federal organizations while it is simultaneously explained to them by a trained educator or transition coordinator. After the discussion, families will receive a VR referral form (if applicable) (7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6).
FIRST
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THEN
Cooperation and Collaboration
During the cooperation and collaboration stage, cooperation functions independently from collaboration. As Meadows, Davies & Beamish (2014) describe cooperation, it is thought of to be an arrangement with "low-risk/low-reward outcomes" (p. 333). Low-risk/low reward outcomes refer to the risk and reward factor that schools and agencies acquire in the initial meeting and planning stages (i.e. Cooperation). During this stage, if the school district and/or agencies' transition goals (including but not limited to, staffing and funding needs, implementing solutions to transition barriers, etc.,) do not align, they both can break ties. In the cooperation stage, school districts and agencies interact with one another by scheduling meetings to better understand the process transition, problem-solve transition barriers, provide staff training about transition, etc. The collaboration stage includes the cooperation stage along with ongoing communication, meetings, and problem-solving. This stage successfully coordinates interagency agreements, outlines everyone's roles and responsibilities, coordinates the sharing of funds and staffing for transition services, and defining transition resources and information to agencies (Mazzotti and Rowe, 2015). The artifacts in this domain demonstrate the collaboration between school districts and agencies by providing the importance of VR and explaining the importance of developing natural supports (through self-determination and empowerment). The idea is to allow students with disabilities to maximize their independence so that they maintain employment on their own. Unfortunately, some individuals will receive supported employment on a permanent basis. This is unfavorable due to individuals receiving supported employment usually receive lower wages thus being unable to support themselves (Cimera 2012). Some agencies provide support services (usually called Centers for Independent Living (CILs)) like independent living so that students become more independent and promote self-determination (Wehmeyer and Gragoudas, 2004). It's important to note that as students become more involved with agencies, they will develop natural supports. These are supports that develop naturally over a period of time. The following artifacts: provide information to families about Georgia's Vocational Rehabilitation, the IEP form that provides students supports, and the Ticket to Work Agreement plan.
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Resources
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Cimera, R. (2012). The economics of supported employment: What new data tells us. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 37, 109-117.
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Mazzotti, V.L. & Rowe, D.A. (2015). Building alliances: A How-to manual to support transitioning youth. Council for Exceptional Children: Arlington, VA.
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Meadows, D., Davies, M., & Beamish, W. (2014). Teacher control over interagency collaboration: A roadblock for effective transitioning of youth with disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 333.
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Morningstar, M. & Clavenna-Deane, B. (2018). Your Complete Guide To Transition Planning and Services. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing Company.
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Noonan, P. M., Erickson, A. G., & Morningstar, M. E. (2013). Effects of community transition teams on interagency collaboration for school and adult agency staff. (Link will open in new tab.)Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals,36(2), 96-104.
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Wehmeyer, M. L., & Gragoudas, S. (2004). Centers for independent living and transition-age youth: Empowerment and self-determination. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 20, 53-58.