Guiding Principles

Heal individuals, families and communities

Planning Phase

During the planning phase, statewide and local departments, agencies, and service providers must come together, as a formal stakeholder group, to identify gaps in identification, referral to services, and needed services to effectively heal individuals, families and communities. In addition, communities must understand where barriers to collaboration exist between service systems, and why some services are inaccessible or unsafe for some communities.

Heal individuals, families and communities

Implementation Phase

During the implementation phase, linking systems of care stakeholder groups should attempt to reach a collaborative advantage – meaning, based on the information garnered during the planning phase, stakeholders can cohesively work together to reach an agreed upon goal by finalizing the mission, action/implementation plans, and information sharing agreements.

Stakeholder groups should aim for a balance between standardization and customization when developing community-based strategies to test in pilot sites. This balance of standardization and customization will improve the likelihood of implementation within local communities.

Heal individuals, families and communities

Sustainability Phase

During the sustainability phase, stakeholder groups should ensure that victims, advocates, and an inclusive array of partners in service provision and healing have a seat at the table when discussing sustainability plans. Find champions who will promote the project activities and work hard to ensure they continue long after the funding has concluded. Including victims and advocates in all phases will increase continued engagement and buy-in from local communities. Thus increasing the likelihood of institutionalization.

Link systems of care

Planning Phase

During the planning phase stakeholder groups will use gather information which they will use to hone in on areas in need of development or enhancement in creating infrastructure to link systems of care in their ability to screen and connect youth to services. This likely includes some of the following:

1. Purchasing an existing screener to roll out to local agencies
2. Working collaboratively to create and validate a new screener
3. Planning for better linkages of support and services to known victims
4. Working in communities to improve existing procedures to better identify and serve victims

Link systems of care

Implementation Phase

During the implementation phase, stakeholder groups should use pilot and/or demonstration sites to test agreed upon strategies (i.e., information sharing agreements, screening instruments/protocols, etc.) created to effectively link systems of care. It’s important to work closely with communities to:

1. Create a selection process for pilot sites
2. Develop individualized implementation strategies (i.e., based on the communities’ needs)
3. Proactively train service providers

Link systems of care

Sustainability Phase

During the sustainability phase, stakeholder groups should ensure that linked systems remained linked by proactively develop sustainability plans that outline contingencies for workforce transition/training; decreased/increased funding; political shifts, etc. Coalitions should see sustainability as an ongoing activity with the goal of institutionalization of procedures, policies, and/or implementation of specific screening instruments.

Make informed decisions

Planning Phase

During the planning phase, stakeholder groups should rely heavily on the data and information collected as well as the relationships built/ throughout the planning process to learn from and engage local community and state-level decision-makers.

The data collected from service provider surveys, victim interviews, resource mapping, funding stream exploration, and other available administrative data will greatly improve the coalition’s ability to identify where resources should be directed, who they should be partnering with, and toward what goals (elements of a successful implementation plan).

Make informed decisions

Implementation Phase

During the implementation phase, feedback loops from the pilot sites should inform alterations and process changes or additions. This step is critical to statewide dissemination efforts and creating systemic and institutionalized change in states that effectively link systems of care for victims of violence.

For example, a pilot site may have difficulty implementing a new screener (e.g., screeners aren’t being used) or protocol associated with identifying victims. It is incumbent on the statewide stakeholder group to work together to analyze data and make the need adjustments. In addition, at this stage, service providers and community partners must understand the services available to their clients/families, as well as the roles/limits of each of their partners in these linked systems. And, families/victims must have good information about how their information is shared, why, and with what protections and consequences.

Make informed decisions

Sustainability Phase

During the sustainability phase, stakeholder groups should continue to collect and analyze data, which will allow coalitions to lobby for increased funding or create opportunities to blend funding streams. Data regarding gaps in service, workforce training, and/or other areas of need will allow coalitions to effectively advocate filling those gaps. Data regarding the impacts of linked systems of care can also be persuasive to project champions and funders.