Transforming Together: Implementation Guide
Establishing a Countywide Ecosystem of Care Introduction Building a new Ecosystem of Care represents an opportunity for local agencies to transform how they collaborate, share resources and data, coordinate care and services, and partner with families and youth in ways that honor community wisdom and strengthen outcomes. The first step in building a new Ecosystem of Care must include securing broad, high-level county leadership support for this change and keeping leaders engaged and focused on steering the change process. The interagency leadership structures and functions required by California’s AB 2083 legislation on Children and Youth System of Care are unique among the state’s efforts to improve child and family services–and provide opportunities to broaden and deepen county efforts to create a fully accessible and effective continuum of services for at-risk families and youth. 1 Adopted in 2018, the legislation requires each county to develop and implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining the roles and responsibilities of the various local entities that serve children and youth in foster care who have experienced severe trauma.
Additionally, AB 2083 mandates the creation of an “Interagency Leadership Team” (ILT) in each county, bound by the MOU and charged with coordinating efforts to improve youth outcomes. Although the legislation focuses on youth in the foster care system, many state and local leaders have recognized its required structures as the most accessible interagency effort available in California for connecting child and youth-serving systems more broadly. Simply put, the Interagency Leadership Team is a model for expanded work statewide. As such, many California counties have begun leveraging this leadership team structure to support the essential “vision-structure- function” demand of other systems-change work.
Ideally, a well-established Interagency Leadership Team is positioned to be a central clearinghouse for all Whole Child efforts within a county.
Ideally, a well-established Interagency Leadership Team is positioned to be a central clearinghouse for all Whole Child efforts within a county.
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