3.4 CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION
Promoting coordination across sectors can create a comprehensive system of child maltreatment prevention. Such a system can ensure that each child and family gets the assistance needed no matter their entry point into public services system. Coordination also is important when there are limited resources available.
Health departments can work to identify existing programs in multiple agencies, such as Child Protective Services, which could be more coordinated through enhanced collaboration. This can occur through a state child maltreatment prevention planning process, cross- agency program linkages, or strong cross-agency collaboration and coordination facilitated through such entities as Children’s Cabinets or Governor’s Councils. While true program coordination and resource sharing can be difficult, you can achieve greater success in addressing complex social issues by working together.
Ways to facilitate collaboration across sectors:
1. Create “facetime” – Getting together in person can go a long way to:
- develop commitment to the collaboration
- ensure you involve the right people
- create a foundation for collective action
2. Build trust – Building collaborative relationships involves facing up to turf issues and building trust between staff and leadership in different organizations. You can work to build trust by outlining shared goals and delineating roles.
3. Develop a plan – Formalizing interagency relationships through collaborative agreements or memoranda of understanding can be helpful. Creating processes and tools (meeting agendas, meeting minutes, data collection worksheets) can help keep the work on track.
4. Take action – Implement planned work and be accountable to the each other as well as your own agency to sustain collective action.
5. Reassess when needed – Changes in staff or leadership can affect your collaborations. You may need to reassess your collaborations and work on building trust with new staff in a partnering agency or organization.
Consider:
- What state organizations are providing similar services to children and families?
- Where do these programs intersect (e.g., serving children under the age of six, addressing similar issues, serving the same individuals/families with different services)?
- Are prevention messages coordinated across sectors?
- What structures support cross-sector coordination around child maltreatment prevention (e.g., state strategic plans, state burden reports, cross-sector coalitions)?
- How are resources that support child maltreatment prevention aligned across sectors for greatest impact (e.g., pooling funding for community-based programs; planning joint programs; using coordinated Requests for Proposals)?
