Developing Workshops To Support Service Coordination Across Systems

Background: Wisconsin Initiative in Milwaukee’s State Partners Department of Workforce Development Division of Economic Support Department of Health and Human Services Division of Supportive Living Child and Family Services Health Care Finance

Background: Wisconsin Initiative in Milwaukee’s Purpose Transformation of Service Delivery Develop an integrated service network that assists families in gaining self-sufficiency by building upon their strengths and supporting them through formal and informal service networks.

Background: Wisconsin Initiative in Milwaukee, Systems and Their Focus Child Protection – safety and health of children Substance abuse/mental health – the reduction/cessation of substance abuse and the reduction/cessation of symptoms TANF – employment and economic independence Criminal Justice – Public Safety and reducing recidivism

Wisconsin Initiative in Milwaukee: Systems Differ in Many Ways Goals Expectations and requirements for success Definition of success based on its own requirements Funding sources and accountability requirements

Wisconsin Initiative in Milwaukee: Collaboration Challenges While workers may be well trained to understand their own system, they may not have a good understanding of other systems. Front line staff in each system develop plans for the consumer without consideration of other plans being developed for the same consumer in other systems. There may be little or no sharing of information between systems or it may be left to the consumer to carry information between systems.

Wisconsin Initiative in Milwaukee: Non-Coordination Consumer Costs Multiple meetings for clients which are sometimes scheduled so that they conflict with one another. The client is required to take the same services from two or more providers. A frenetic pace to meet all the requirements. The client is required to do the impossible and faces severe consequences and blame for failing to do the impossible.

Wisconsin Initiative in Milwaukee: Valued Systems Outcomes Collaboration across funding streams Team approach across systems Family-centered and strength-based plans Consumer involvement at all levels Gender and culturally responsive plans and services Sustain systems change over time

Wisconsin Initiative in Milwaukee: The Bottom Line The welfare of children, the ability to work, and substance abuse treatment are intimately related and dependent on each other for success.

Goal of Workshops To engage agencies in a workshop series that lays the foundation for working together in new ways.

First Assumption The most compelling reason for agencies to meet and form new relationships is their relationship to the family or individual client.

Background to the First Assumption Mutual interest in family and client well-being is the basis for the relationship between the service provider and the family or individual client. Better understanding of other agencies’ missions and resources is helpful because it improves each agency’s ability to work with families and individuals towards their common goal of improved well-being.

Second Assumption The workshop experience will be most relevant and useful when it: builds on important resources in the community of agencies, and celebrates the strengths of the participants.

Background to Second Assumption Agency staff’s day to day experience with families and individual clients has: given staff an important perspective on the issues challenging family well-being in the community. given staff useful skills that build on their understanding of these issues. created a variety of “skill experts” working with families and individual clients in the community.

Third Assumption The opportunity to talk with and network with one another builds a bridge of understanding that will support cross systems coordination.

Background to Third Assumption Talking together helps set realistic expectations that support communication. Learning from one another develops respect as well as an understanding of the resources different service systems have to offer.

Keys to the Workshop Format Reaching many individual staff members in the different service systems Encouraging the exploration of different perspectives related to different service systems Supporting the sharing and interaction among participants Placing the participant, not the presenter, on center stage

What do agency staff want? To communicate what their own agency has to offer and what they have learned about the issues facing Milwaukee's families. To learn what other agencies have to offer and what others have learned about the issues facing Milwaukee’s families.

The Topic Area Planning Groups: What to Cover Identify what workshop participants from different service systems need to know to work with families facing challenges in the topic area. Identify what information workshop participants can use right at their desk when they return to the office.

Some Learning Goals for Substance Abuse A better understanding of the emotional and physical impact of chemical use on families. Recognizing the importance of modeling behavior that encourages staying clean. Becoming more effective when interviewing individuals experiencing the impact of substance abuse.

Some Learning Goals for Intimate Family Violence A better understanding of the impact of intimate family violence on people’s lives. Knowing how to respond in a way that is helpful to someone disclosing intimate family violence. A better understanding of how culture influences communication about parenting and intimate family violence.

Ideal Characteristics of Presenters Depth and breadth of experience Emotionally and intellectually comfortable with the topic area Able to track the stress level of the group and adapt material to avoid overwhelming participants Able to approach the group as “co-experts”

The Topic Area Planning Groups: Ways to Engage Participants Identifying individuals or groups of staff who can provide dynamic and creative experiences that will engage workshop participants. Selecting a specific focus for each workshop and a set of presentation topics or role-plays to make the best use of the time.

Presenter Guidelines Strive to be accessible, fully engaged, and nonjudgmental. Model the respectful, active, and empathic listening that workshop participants can use when working with families. Be openly curious about and validate the experiences that participants choose to discuss.

Presentation Characteristics Enough content to provide an opportunity for participants to begin their intellectual exploration of the issues. Creative and varied ways to allow participants to “enter into” the experience. Opportunities to share, question and explore out loud. Minimal scripting for presenters and no expectations that specific amounts of information will be “covered” in a given session.

The Topic Area Planning Groups: Setting Expectations Develop or review invitations that set the expectations for what workshop participants will be asked to share.

Format 1: Come Prepared to Share A success story – related to working well together to achieve a good outcome. A best practices example at their agency. A best practices example from a treatment agency. Another success story about working well together with a family when relapse has become an issue.

Format 2: Come Prepared to Share A time when you saw that you succeeded in… A time when you felt that…. A time when someone in a treatment agency was helpful….. A time when you felt that you had a more limited success….

Specific Examples of the Invitation to Share Experience Stories A time when you saw that the path chosen by the family fit their cultural values very well and your service system demonstrated flexibility to reach good outcomes. A time when you felt that a woman who was being battered in her own home was able to make use of the legal options open to her so that she could be safe and her children could be safe with her.

The Topic Area Planning Groups: Planned Feedback Review and approve the evaluation form for the workshop. Review the evaluation results for the workshop.

Evaluation of Goals Met Example Having attending this workshop, would you say…… (circle your answers) I have a better understanding of the impact of intimate family violence on people’s lives Strongly AgreeDisagreeStrongly AgreeDisagree

Overall Evaluation Questions What is your overall evaluation of the workshop? ExcellentVery good Good Fair Poor What do you think is the most important thing you learned from your participation in this workshop? In what ways do you think the workshop could be improved? Please be specific.

Feedback on Mental Health Workshop The scenarios were the most helpful as they gave some real examples of how to deal with emergency situations. How to deal with people suffering from HIV and how they feel. The steps to be taken when faced with a client considering suicide.

Feedback on Value of the Workshops Building hope for clients is of primary importance. Patience, understanding, building trust are the basis of building a relationship. The best part is connecting personally with peers, fellow practitioners. Networking on a systems and personal level is so worthwhile it should be continued because resources change in the community.