Local and Regional Child and Youth-Serving Coalitions
Coalition Mapping Project Summary:
Produce a
statewide map and
database of local and regional child and youth-serving coalitions;
their purpose and funding mechanisms, so the state can consider
how to engage them more effectively as partners in seeking shared
child/youth outcomes. This Coalition mapping will be maintained
as an updatable online tool.
Project's desired outcomes for children and youth: With this
Coalition Mapping, there are process outcomes that relate to youth
outcomes over time.
Process Outcomes include:
- The Children's Cabinet leadership will have a comprehensive
picture and contact list of the various collaboratives working
on behalf of Maine children and youth statewide;
- The Children's Cabinet and other policy and program developers
will know the regions in which gaps in coalition supports and
effective networking opportunities exist;
- The Shared Youth Vision Council and its membership will have
access to a wide array of coalitions with whom to engage in cross-systems
service delivery planning;
- Local and regional coalitions can identify like-minded groups
with which to partner on resource development for direct services
to children, youth and families;
- Schools can identify local or regional prevention or support
groups to assist children and families in need.
Child/Youth/Family Outcomes include:
- Children and youth attend schools that are well-supported
by community collaboratives that share and promote common
goals for all young people in the community;
- Child, youth and
families can locate and access resources and services quickly;
- Children, youth and families needs are met more effectively
and efficiently.
Opportunities and challenges discovered:
- Opportunities: In January 2009, the Children's Cabinet rolled
out the Shared Youth Vision Council SYV) to pick up where the
Children's Growth Council (formerly known as the Task Force
on Early Childhood focused on prenatal to age 5 systems supports)
leaves off in providing research across public and private
stakeholders to recommend improvements in service delivery
to school-aged children and youth across the state.
As this
SYV initiative and its action plan emerges, it will be critical
to provide this group with the Coalition Mapping tool through
which to expand their outreach for addressing gaps in services
to school-aged children and youth in need.
Never before has
there been a comprehensive mapping of a variety of coalitions/collaboratives
in Maine to support effective, sustained, and flexible change
based on the type of strategic plans being developed in
these next two years through the Children's Growth Council
and the Shared Youth Vision Council (To learn more about the
SYV Council please go to: www.maine.gov/cabinet/syv ).
- Challenges: Although the primary data-collection is complete,
some gaps remain in counties where there are fewer resources
and geographically vast territory making effective collaboration
and communications difficult among and between groups.
Like
other issues and services in Maine, the state's unorganized
territories as well as northern counties geography and vast
land verse small population poses challenges that are unique
to these rural areas. Not surprising is the disparity in
numbers of cohesive community coalitions or collaboratives.
In order for such groups to be effective in their
work, they must bring together representatives
from a variety of organizations and groups as well as individuals
such as parents and youth. In these large, rural
territories, there are fewer organizations, as most exist
and are funded based on population, yet transportation
is often times impossible and costly.
