Region 10 ILP/TLP Collaboration Conference Call
October 27, 2005, 1:30 PM – 3:00PM (PST)
Minutes
I. Greeting/Roll Call
A roll call was not held due to the large number of participants. A list was compiled by the operator for the phone call.
II. Review of Initiative/Last Call in June
Background: Judith explained that the original call June 16th developed out of the Pathways 2005 conference. The June call provided an opportunity to share initial info on Region 10 ILP/TLP collaborations and explore participant interest in working on increased ILP/TLP Collaboration. Today is the requested next call.
CB/FYSB/ROX Leadership/Support: Curtis Porter (Family &amo; Youth Services Bureau) shared his and Pam Johnson's (Children's Bureau) perspectives on the importance of ILP/TLP partnerships and their interest in the Region 10 work and the Initiative sharing that will occur at the May 17-20 Portland, OR ILP/TLP "Pathways" conference.
Representing Regional Administrator Steve Henigson, Vince Herberholt reported that support of the Collaboration Initiative and May Portland conference are priority work activities for both management and staff.
III. New Developments or Keeping Momentum
FY 2006 National Conference: Next National Pathways conference will be held in Region 10. This will provide a great opportunity for further networking. It will be held in Portland, OR, May 17-20, 2006.
State Training:
Oregon: Rosemary Iavenditti, Independent Living Coordinator, reported that they have a couple things going on in regard to statewide training. The ASPIRE fall conference in which the state partners with ASPIRE (mentor program). This is the second year of this partnership. This year they expanded the invitation list to include DHS, and Homeless Runaway TLPs. One interesting program was on working with undocumented youth and what services can be provided. Oregon is planning Ansell Casey Life Skills Assessment Training to be completed regionally. The state is also planning a conference on College Bound Youth; which will have both youth and adult tracks around financial aid, what youth should be doing and when they should be doing it to make college prep and planning successful.
Idaho: Lori Yellen, Independent Living Coordinator reported that in September the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Youth Development (NCWRCYD) provided training in three hub areas of the state (Coeur D'Alene, Boise, and Pocatello) obtaining permanency through positive youth development set in the framework of the four core principles of youth development, collaboration, cultural competence, and permanent connections. There was a good turn out of participants ranging from state ILP/TLP/CASA, there were also a few participants that came from Spokane, WA.
FY 2006 TLP/ILP Forum/Survey:
ILP/TLP Forum: During FY2006 there will be a training event for ILP/TLP sponsored by the Northwest Network for Youth in partnership with ACF Region 10.
Survey: There is a survey being completed looking at TLP vacancies and capacities (Northwest Network for Youth, Gary Hammons) It is not complete yet but will be out shortly. Results of this survey will be shared with TLPs and ILP coordinators. Most likely the results will be linked to the new Region 10 collaboration website page.
IV. "Real World" ILP/TLP Collaboration (Community Youth Services, Olympia, Washington)
Overview: The RISE Transitional Living Program (TLP) and The Independent Living Program (IL) at Community Youth Services (CYS) have worked together for over four years to provide expanded IL programming and cross program case management for TLP participants. This has been a natural fit and beneficial to both programs for two prime reasons: 1. A significant number of IL youth who leave the state foster care system find themselves homeless and enter transitional housing and 2.The perspective, specialized knowledge, experience and community connections that the IL staff possess, are an amazing asset to the TLP program. The IL Program has been a part of CYS's continuum of services since 1988. The program provides life skills programming and case management to youth who are or have been in the state foster care system ages 15 to 21. Last year they served 147 youth; more youth were actually served on an unofficial basis.
The RISE TLP provides housing and case management to youth age 16 to 21 who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless. The program has been in operation since 1999. RISE provides scattered site, one and two bedroom apartments, a four bedroom Independent Living House, a three bedroom Safe and Sober House, a Duplex with Section 8 vouchers for young parents, a three bedroom house for a family, and HOME coupons for youth who have graduated into Phase II. The program provides stable housing while case managers assist youth in completing their education, finding and keeping a job, learning life skills and overcoming any other barriers they might have to successful independent living. Last year they served 29 young adults with 15 children. The IL Case Manager is a full time Independent Living employee whose salary is paid for by both the IL and TLP programs. Both programs are in CYS's Youth Development Department.
Identify Barriers: Change in funding sources: In its first year of operation the IL house was mostly funded through the state ILS program. However at this time the state’s regional office has withdrawn its financial support and we are currently using host home funds to keep the house running. It is a valuable resource that we do not want to lose. Recently, because of the IL budget cuts in our region we have had to reduce the number of staff in the IL program. Current staffing levels will not allow for a 1/2 time case manager. This will force the TLP program to hire an IL case manager within their program.
Live in staff receives monthly stipend and household expenses. Stipend is equal to host home payment. Staff is expected to supervise evening and overnights, mediate conflict between residents that may come up, mentor youth, and provide individual one-on-one time with residents. Staff is off one weekend per month.
Strategies to Overcome: to help with funding of the home IL pays for room and board for prior foster youth. Residents are required to pay 30% of there income for rent, upon successful completion of the program they receive ½ of that money back.
See the Region 10 Collaboration website page for further info.
V. Collaboration Presentation (NRC) by Dorothy Ansell
Best Practice: What is collaboration?…the unnatural act between consenting agencies. Reference the NRCYD website monograph entitled "In the Spirit of Chafee: Collaboration in Youth Services" http://www.nrcys.ou.edu/nrcyd/publications/monographs/collabmono.pdf. [PDF]
Collaboration is the process by which people come to the table to solve a common problem. When at the table we are all equal. Collaboration can be very simple and informal by such as an agreement to work together, or two workers deciding to share their policy or resource list. Collaboration usually starts out as a project and often ends with an event. Such as the OK conference, State Residential Professionalizing Youth Care Worker. There was collaboration in the fact that there was shared work, committee, and expense. When all is done the purpose may end and so may the collaboration. What can happen though is continued collaboration based off the success of the event and the working relationships that were made. Another example occurred in MN where several agencies formed a group to identify additional housing resources. The outcome resulted in the renovation of the hospital for affordable housing for lower income and transitioning foster youth.
Collaboration is not a contract in which one party is a buyer and the other a seller. Barriers to collaboration develop when:
- one party has power over the other; turf issues develop
- when there is distrust between the parties involved.
- when organizations have very different philosophical beliefs.
- when there are differences on how decisions are made.
Steven Mullen (Resource Center): sent out a survey to TLP providers asking about their collaborations within their states. At the time of the conference call he had 19 responses. 10 stated that they did have TLP/ILP collaboration, 7 stated they did not, and 2 had some informal collaboration but there were concerns. Another survey inquiring about federal and state collaboration will be done at a later time. There is no due date as to when the survey was to be completed but, when Steven has all the survey results in he will be sharing them with both TLP and ILP.
Judith pointed out that for TLP it is best to contact both the executive director and TLP program manager. If the program manager is contacted there is better chance of getting quicker responses. Steven is the list serve manager for the TLP and he can be contacted at smullen@ou.edu. If you know of others that need to be on the list please get that contact information to Steven. Judith will share the Region 10 TLP director/manager list that they have with Steven.
VI. Collaboration Contact Process
TLP: Judith spoke about the TLP system being limited (16 grantees). Plans are to have contact information listed on the website page listed above. TLP grantee Executive Directors and Program Managers are the contact people for the TLP system.
ILP:
Oregon: Rosemary Iavenditti, Independent Living Coordinator, indicated that if TLP and ILP staff know who to contact it is best to have direct communication. If assistance is needed in making the right connection she will be happy to facilitate that contact
Washington: Rick Butt, Independent Living Coordinator, stated that Washington is divided into 6 regions each with a coordinator. He is in the process of planning a joint IL/TLP meeting with the next 2-3 months. He restated that if TLP and ILP staff know who to contact it is best to have direct communication. If assistance is needed in making the right connection he will be happy to facilitate that contact.
Idaho: Lori Yellen, Independent Living Coordinator, stated that Idaho is divided into 7 regions and if TLP and ILP staff know who to contact it is best to have direct communication. If assistance is needed in making the right connection she will be happy to facilitate that contact.
Alaska: Dorothy Douglas, Independent Living Coordinator, was on travel status and unable to participate on the call.
Tina and Judith together will try to facilitate collaboration between TLP and ILP coordinators as much as possible.
VII. Recap/Next Steps
Next Call: It was determined by all involved in this teleconference that there was interest in having a further ILP/TLP Collaboration conference call. Judith and Tina will facilitate scheduling the next call.
Topics for Next Call:
- Rick Butt tentatively offered to talk about the statewide youth advisory board.
- starting an apprentice program (TLP)
- Report from the It's My Life Conference that is coming up.
- Positive youth development model, what is it and what is its effectiveness?
- How to engage youth.
Region 10 ILP/TLP Collaboration Web Site:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/region10/resources/region_10_tlp_ilp_collab/index.html
Collaboration Documentation:
There is a collaboration template on the website; this will be how collaboration efforts will be reported for future presentation. Information on collaboration will somehow be packaged and shared at the Pathways conference. If you have examples of good collaboration that your agency is doing please download the collaboration template from the website and email to Judith or Tina.
Note: There will be an electronic newsletter coming soon through NCWRCYD. which will have information and a link to a Department of Labor document that lists all funding streams coming into individual states.
Minutes Courtesy of Clay Finck, Trainer Consultant, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Youth Development
A big "THANK YOU" to Clay!