Key Issues in Developing School-Linked, Integrated Services

• Published in: The Future of children 1992, Vol.2 (1), p.85-94
• Main Author: Gardner, Sidney L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agency Cooperation; Ancillary School Services; Children; Collaboration; Cooperative Planning; Delivery Systems; Educational administration; Financial Support; Funding; Governance; Health Services; Information storage and retrieval systems; Information Systems; Integrated Activities; Interdisciplinary Approach; Parents; Patient confidentiality; Program Implementation; Reform Efforts; School Role; Social Services; Systems Development; Target Planning; Urban schools; Youths at risk
• ISSN: 1054-8289; 1550-1558
• DOI: 10.2307/1602464

This article identifies several nuts-and-bolts issues involved in planning and implementing school-linked services. Effective planning must include discussion of implementation details and is possible only if a policy-minded team of coequals works toward the same goals. No one agency should "own" the process. In addition to education, health, and social services agency leaders, the team should include representatives of community and neighborhood groups, line workers, and parents. This team must carefully address questions of targeting, governance, financing, evaluation, and information sharing. In addition, team members must consider operational issues such as ensuring line worker buy-in and establishing an effective case management staffing plan that is acceptable to existing staff. The article discusses different strategies that community teams can use to address each of these issues.