Transforming Together: Implementation Guide
The How Engage in Existing Cross- Agency Efforts An inherent early tension in convening and recruiting an ILT, especially one focused on uniting the broader California children’s systems into one integrated Ecosystem of Care, is deciding who to tap and how large to make the group. The most critical factor in determining a leadership team’s composition is to have those with decision-making authority consistently present in meetings so that trust and shared accountability are built and sustained . But group size and representation can also either restrict or unleash the ILT’s capacity to execute its vision: If too small, the body cannot represent the full scope of need or services; if too large, the team will struggle to make decisions or implement agreements. In practice, most counties have found that an ILT composed of no more than six to nine members representing a diverse set of partners is most effective. Examples of members include: • The director or deputy-level staff from these agencies: Mental Health/Behavioral Health, Regional Center, Children’s Welfare, Juvenile Probation, and the County Office of Education. • Presiding judges: Judges often bring a unique perspective to the system and a unique capacity to influence a leadership team. In moments of difficulty, having a non-county authority to mediate and interpret can bring disparate views between other partners into synchrony. • Native Tribal authorities: California’s most recent System of Care design efforts (and the experience of many counties) point to tribal leaders as essential ILT participants. 3 • Family and youth representatives.
These two leadership groups play important, complementary roles: • The Integrated Leadership Team (ILT) , the first tier of the shared leadership structure, includes agency directors, chiefs and superintendents, parent/youth representatives, and (in some cases) community partner organizations. The AB 2083 legislation charges the ILT to establish a unified vision for the foster care system and ensure that individual agencies and community organizations collaborate to work toward this vision. Pursuing an effective Ecosystem, and any measurable return on investment, will require the county’s ILT to expand its vision to begin addressing the complete spectrum of child and youth service delivery issues and processes for a far larger set of youth in any particular county. The Executive Advisory Committee (EAC) , the second tier of the shared leadership structure, includes managers, deputy directors, and/or other senior leaders of departments or agencies who share responsibility for building the new Ecosystem. The EAC executes the vision of the ILT and manages the day-to-day work and decisions about achieving the county’s vision for Whole Child and community-centered care.
The most critical factor in determining a leadership team’s composition is to have those with decision-making authority consistently present in meetings so that trust and shared accountability are built and sustained.
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