Family Connection Partnership News

FCP Studying Roots of Collaborative Successes

Family Connection Partnership is examining the workings of six Family Connection collaboratives to determine the underlying causes of their successes. Glynn, Gwinnett, Jenkins, Mitchell, Turner and Whitfield counties are the focus of a case study to gather data on collaborative "best practices" in Georgia.

The study will contribute to our attempt to answer the question: "What kinds of collaboratives, in what kinds of settings, creating what kinds of system changes and implementing what kinds of activities, produce what kinds of results for children?"

What is the purpose of the case study?

For more than a decade, Family Connection collaboratives have been committed to improving results for Georgia's children and families. Increasingly, support for the work of Family Connection is being linked to being accountable for improving outcomes and the ability to communicate those results through data-driven, research-based methods. More and more, our partners, key stakeholders, and policy makers are relying on that data to make crucial decisions impacting children and families.

As a result of their inquiries and Family Connection's commitment of accountability in this process, the study will explore:

• How the community context influences collaboration.
  
• The details of how successful collaboratives are structured.
  
• The perceptions of multiple stakeholders within and outside the collaborative.

Through this process, Family Connection will develop a deeper understanding of the core elements needed to create a successful collaborative. As a result, collaboratives will have more information to create exceptional impacts in their communities.

How is information being gathered and what kinds of questions are being asked?

A small evaluation team is visiting the counties through the end of June, asking questions, observing activities, and gathering data related to recent successes. Their findings will then be interpreted and shared with other collaboratives, partners and key stakeholders.

Team members are asking collaboratives questions such as:

• What impact has your collaborative made in the community?
  
• What challenges have you faced?
  
• How have you overcome them?

The team also is interviewing collaborative partners to gather information on their involvement in the collaborative process.

How were the collaboratives selected?

These six counties represent a diverse mix of both urban and rural settings from different regions in the state. The collaboratives have demonstrated success in either developing a strong county collaborative or making progress on one or more benchmarks. Although many more collaboratives throughout Georgia have demonstrated success, these collaboratives were selected due to their success in bringing together the parts outlined in the Family Connection Theory of Change model.

Not all collaboratives satisfied all criteria but all did very well with at least two of these criteria:

• Stability of leadership
  
• Ability to leverage resources
  
• Successful completion of stages of development
  
• Degree of participation from multiple community sectors
  
• Engagement in systems change
  
• Geographic and demographic diversity
  
• Relative effectiveness in improving results for children and families

Data were collected from the collaboratives' most recent self-assessment. In addition, Community Facilitators and members of the Family Connection Partnership management team gave examples of communities that exemplify the Family Connection model.

Funding for the case study only allows for six counties to be observed, due to the logistics and scope of data to be collected from multiple regions in a short timeframe.

How will this case study benefit the work of Family Connection collaboratives?

After interpreting and communicating the findings, Family Connection will be better positioned to:

• Increase cross-site and peer-to-peer learnings in specific areas, including collaborative leadership, economic setting, and relationships of who participates in the collaborative process and its potential results.
  
• Develop more creative ways to overcome challenges.
  
• Develop more creative ways to diversify funding.

How will this study benefit the work of Family Connection Partnership?

As a result of this case study, the Partnership will have:

• An enhanced understanding of collaboratives' successes and challenges and will be more equipped to tailor technical assistance needs.
  
• More information that will lead to more creative and strategic thinking for fund development.
  
• More knowledge of shared challenges among collaboratives and shared "best practices" on how to overcome those challenges.
  
• Rich descriptions of examples of successful collaboratives to share with the public, policymakers, investors, other key stakeholders, and the media.

The broader question that will be answered through this study is:

"Where Family Connection Partnership can be shown to have had a substantial presence, what is its specific contribution to improved results?"

What are the next steps?

The team currently is gathering data through the end of June. Findings will be integrated with the results of the Family Connection Partnership Implementation Study and will be released this fall.

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