Local Collaboration Plan

County Children’s Division Office

And

Name Head Start

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this agreement is to ensure effective collaboration between (County) Children’s Division Office and (Name) Head Start. For the purpose of this document, Head Start includes both Early Head Start and Head Start

Mutual Benefits

Reinforces the Head Start commitment in serving abused and neglected children.

Assists Head Start agencies in taking an active role in community planning to encourage strong communication, cooperation, and the sharing of information with community partners.

Assists the Children’s Division in establishing and maintaining community partnerships and enhancing its service delivery as required by Council of Accreditation (COA) standards and as outlined in the Missouri’s Program Improvement Plan (PIP).

Collaboration Agreement

Joint Responsibilities:

Establish a referral process to Head Start agencies that is amenable to both the local Children’s Division and Head Start program.

Establish cross training opportunities to include agency overviews and topics of mutual interest, such as working with high-need families, administering child and family assessment instruments, and the responsibilities of mandated reporters.

Partners to conduct community outreach to other community agencies supporting children and families.

Liaison Responsibilities

A liaison shall be identified by both the local Children’s Division office and the Head Start program. The liaisons responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

Informing Children’s Division regarding the developmental progress of and services received by children in the custody, care, or supervision or receiving services from the Children’s Division who are enrolled in Head Start.

Attending Family Support Team Meetings when requested and/or facilitating Head Start staff to attend these meetings.

Identifying goals for the Individualized Family Development Plan and working with families to develop appropriate interventions to support goal achievement.

Communicating regularly with the public child welfare agency and court staff about the developmental progress of and services received by a child involved with the Children’s Division enrolled in Head Start.

Inviting local Children’s Division representatives to become community representatives on Policy Council, the Governing Board, the Health Services Advisory Committee, or other Head Start program advisory committees.

Inviting Head Start representatives to local Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) meetings.

Dispute Resolution

Parties will first attempt to resolve the dispute between or among themselves. All local agencies will ensure that a system is in place to resolve disputes and solve problems. The system should include:

Timelines for regular meetings to review agreements, plan collaborative activities, and resolve issues; and

The identification of a liaison from each agency

Additional local Children’s Division responsibilities:
Additional local Head Start responsibilities:
Children’s Division Circuit Manager	Date
Head Start Director/Designee	Date
Children’s Division Director/Designee	Date