Slide 1: Title, Building Partnership Toolkit Slide 2: Grant language Slide 3: Contents Slide 4: Introduction Slide 5: Background Facilitator Tip (Slides 4-5): Having a strong background in the CAC movement or deep knowledge about the inner workings of State VOCA Administrations are not required in order to effectively facilitate a partnership building process. However it will be helpful to familiarize yourself with the underpinnings of each organization and their histories. This will be of benefit as the process unfolds and the conversations turn to the details of the work. For information about Children’s Advocacy centers visit: • The National Children’s Advocacy Center: www.nationalcac.org • The National Children’s Alliance: www.ncaonline.org • Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers: • www.srcac.org, www.mrcac.org, www.westernregionalcac.org, • www.nrcac.org For information about State VOCA Administrations visit: • National Association of State VOCA Administrators: https://navaa.org • Dept of Justice Office for Victims of Crime: https://ovc.ojp.gov/about/crime-victims-fund Slide 6: How to use this toolkit Slide 7: Who should use this toolkit Facilitator Tip (Slides 6-7): This guide is meant to serve as a template for facilitators; the process, format, timeframe etc. may need to differ depending on the specifics of the team and participants you are working with. Facilitators are encouraged to consider the needs, strengths and dynamics involved in each engagement when designing a partnership building process. Slide 8: About Collaborative Partnership Slide 9: About Collaborative Partnership Reflections from the Pilot (Slides 8-9): Early in the process of both pilot projects the groups were engaged in a conversation about other partnerships they are involved in and what the experience has been like from their perspective and how they were found to be useful. Participants shared both positive and negative experiences. These conversations helped to set a frame for what collaborative partnership cold look like and offered an opportunity for participants to share what they were hopeful for in a partnership. Facilitator Notes: During the partnership building process, take time to discuss the fact that the hallmark of true collaboration is the creation of something new and not just the execution of an intended task or anticipated outcome. Whether a new idea, project, or process, collaboration draws on the unique skills and talents of a group to develop something that might not have otherwise been created. This frame offers the group a better understanding of how they might benefit from collaboration and why their participation is essential. Slide 10: About Collaborative Partnership Facilitator Tip (Slide 10): For more information on collaboration, partnership and effective teams consider the following resources: • Amy Edmondson – Researcher and author of several books on teams and psychological safety. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6451 • Francesca Gino – Researcher and author on sustained collaboration: https://hbr.org/2019/11/cracking-the-code-of-sustained-collaboration Slide 11: Getting Started Slide 12: Assessing Need Reflections from the Pilot (Slide 11-12): These questions were asked well in advance of the first meeting for each pilot. The leaders of each participating agency were contacted and asked to share their thoughts and insight. Not only did this provide useful information as to what type of partnership building process was needed, it helped to engage them in the project early on. Facilitator Tip: Consider engaging both the CAC Chapter Director and the Director of the VOCA Administering agency in separate conversations around the idea of a collaborative partnership process. Depending on where the idea to conduct such a project initiated, an introduction may be beneficial. These questions can help to guide the conversation. In some instances, an intentional partnership building process may not be necessary. If strong relationships already exists and there is a clear and shared understanding about how the Chapter and the VOCA Administrator can work collaboratively, then the group may be best served by a strategic vision setting process like the one described in the second session of this guide. This can serve to find further alignment and help to set shared goals. Slide 13: First Steps Slide 14: First Steps Reflections from the Pilot (Slides 13-14): Prior to the second pilot an application was released asking interested VOCA Administrators and CAC Chapters to submit a letter of interest to be considered for the project. This required that the two leaders have a conversation about their existing levels of collaboration and explore they might stand to gain from such a process. Several CAC Chapter directors reported that this conversation in and of itself yielded tremendous value, with some suggesting that it was a big step in what was otherwise a very minimal relationship. Slide 15: Considering a Facilitator slide 16: Considering a facilitator Reflections from the Pilot (Slides 15-16): Each of the four Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers, located throughout the US have trained facilitators on staff and may be able to assist with collaborative partnership building processes. A representative from the Regional CAC was present at each of the pilot site sessions. Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers: www.srcac.org, www.mrcac.org, www.westernregionalcac.org, www.nrcac.org Slide 17: Who to include Slide 18: Who to include Reflections from the Pilot (Slides 17-18): Considering who to include can be a challenge. The last thing you want to do is offend an existing partner or a potential future collaborator. A useful question to ask is “how would including this agency add or detract our primary goal” which for this purpose is to build a collaborative partnership between the Chapter and the VOCA Administrator. There is nothing to say that this process couldn’t be repeated in the future, perhaps in a more streamline way, with the addition of each new partner organization. Slide 19:: Who to include Facilitator Tip (Slide 19): It may be necessary to process and explore the question of who is best suited to participate in the partnership building process. This can, and should be done with leadership from both the Chapter and VOCA Administrator. While it may see best to have participation from many other agencies, you must consider how that might change the dynamic in light of the overall goals and objectives. A smaller group may be best suited to lay a foundation of partnership, from which you can then build from. Slide 20: Inviting with intention Slide 21: Inviting with intention Facilitator Tip (Slides 20-21): It is best, if possible, to have invitations to other participating agencies and organizations come from leaders of the Chapter and VOCA Administration jointly. While as a facilitator you can extend an invitation to other agencies on behalf of the process, it will likely not have the same gravity and meaning. Consider having the CAC Chapter Director or VOCA Administration Director send an introductory email explaining your role and that you have their full support in the facilitation of this engagement. Slide 22: Planning and Preparation Slide 23: Timelines Slide 24: Timelines Reflections from the Pilot (Slides 23-24): Finding dates to meet that works for everyone may be one of the biggest challenges. It is important to remember when setting timelines and scheduling, that representatives from participating organizations are busy at baseline, with certain periods of the year consumed by grant or program related activities. Consider engaging a representative from each agency in the scheduling process to help ensure full participation and effective coordination. Slide 25: initial planning call slide 26: sample planning call agenda Facilitator Tip (Slides 25-26): If nothing else, setting a clear expectation is the goal of this initial call. Helping all participants to understand what it is they have signed up for will greatly increase the chances of success. Be clear about what this process is all about and what, as a group, you hope to achieve. Slide 27: agenda setting Slide 28: agenda setting Facilitator Tip (Slides 27-28): Gathering over food is a very social act that most people connect to positive experiences and relationships. If possible, offer the group an opportunity to share in a meal together. Providing some light breakfast foods and /or lunch will help cultivate a relaxed atmosphere, and keep the group connected and well fed throughout the day. Should restrictions on grant funds make it impossible to eat onsite, consider venturing out as a group for lunch or inviting everyone to bring their own from home. Don’t attempt to shorten the day with a “working lunch,” allowing the group a chance to get to know one another is all part of the work. slide 29: coming together Slide 30: Creating Space for collaboration Slide 31: Creating Space for collaboration Facilitator Tip (Slides 30-31): While each of these tenets play an important role in developing a collaborative partnership, Framing the Work is essential during the early stages of the process. As a facilitator you will want to be sure that all in the group have a clear understanding of why we are coming together and what the process will entail. One approach is to ask participants to share what they are hopeful for in the process as part of their introduction. This provides you, as facilitator, with a chance to hear what the group is looking for, as well as a means of highlighting common hopes and shaping expectations. Sharing some information about Partnerships does not have to be a lengthy task and can help to further frame the work. A few simple power point slides with the following statements help to add context to the process. • Teams Work • Teams Take Work • Team Functioning Impacts Outcome Asking the group to consider and join you in appreciating these basic principles about partnership generates buy-in in the process and frames the ideas that the group will explore throughout. Slide 32: Getting to know our partners Slide 33: Getting to know our partners Facilitator Tip (Slides 32-33): Even if everyone involved in this process is from the local community, take some time to talk about the area/state you are working in. This step is especially important however if you as the facilitator is not familiar with the state and communities that comprise is. This will assist you in building a relationship with the participants and provide context that will help the group to cultivate a shared understanding of itself and how it will operate. Consider questions like: • What’s important to know about this state? • If one was to move here what might they be surprised by? • What are some of the things that people from this state are proud of? • What would one need to know or do to be accepted in this community? Slide 34: Getting to know our partners Reflections from the Pilot (Slide 34): Given the nature of this work, it is likely that relationships of some sort are already in place. Be sure to explore and lift up any organizational relationships that already exist within the group. Take time to discuss what is beneficial about the existing relationships and how it contributes to collaboration and partnership. Explore what has helped to foster and sustain any existing relationships. Facilitator Tip As a facilitator ask clarifying questions and listen for opportunities for connection and points of collaboration. The goal here is to ensure that all the participating organizations have a chance to understand their partners, what they do, and what motivates their work. Slide 35: cultivating a shared a understanding Reflections from the Pilot (Slide 35): The benefits of creating a shared understanding were highlighted during one of the pilot sessions when members of both the CAC Chapter Staff and VOCA Administrator expressed frustration with a specific grant requirement. The Chapter staff shared that they received countless calls from their membership asking how to meet the requirement, while the VOCA Administrator shared that the requirement makes it challenging to distribute funds in a timely manner. The realization of this shared frustration helped to build connection and served as a catalyst for some impressive brainstorming on how to improve the grant making process. Slide 36: understanding our partners Facilitator Tip (Slide 36): Having participants complete this activity on large sheets of flip chart paper attached to the wall offers the group an opportunity to move around a bit. It also provides each organization a chance to present what they’ve written once complete. Be sure to capture what is written on each sheet as you will want to reference back to them later in the process. This can be easily done by taking pictures of the sheets with a cell phone. Slide 37: Understanding those we serve Slide 38: Understanding those we serve Facilitator Tip (Slides 37-38): Support the group in resisting the urge to immediately begin reaching for solutions here, instead encourage a thorough and shared exploration of each question. As facilitator you may need to ask clarifying questions to help the conversation get started, but attempt to let the dialogue take place between group members. A primary hope for this activity is to identify, in a safe way without blame, where there is room for improvement with regard to serving children and youth victims of crime, particularly those who are currently underserved. Slide 39: How might we? Slide 40: How might we? Facilitator Tip (Slides 39-40): These two questions can be powerful conversation starters and serve to help the group begin thinking both about their collaborative potentials and how they can engage in further strengthening the partnership. As facilitator encourage the group to tackle these questions much the same way they would a brainstorming session, where quantity and a range of ideas is better than a single in-depth approach. Draw on what you’ve heard from the group so far to develop one or two possible answers to each question, have these ready in case the group needs examples or struggles with the concept. Slide 41: Staying connecting and engaged Slide 42: Staying connecting and engaged Facilitator Tip (Slides 41-42): Be sure to introduce the idea of these calls to the group during the first in person session, this can help set expectations and clarify their purpose. It may also be helpful to remind/encourage group members that they can also look for other opportunities to stay connected via email, phone, and in person meetings. This furthers the effort to build collaborative relationships. Slide 43: coming together again Slide 44: A second meeting Slide 45: A second meeting Facilitator Tip (Slides 44-45): Depending on the success of the initial meeting, there may be a sentiment within the group that a second gathering is unnecessary. Remind the participants that the second in person meeting has a different focus and objective. This meeting is about looking forward and developing a shared vision of what collaborative work might look like. This process includes a bit of strategic vision setting, as well as some thought about how to sustain the partnership moving forward. Make use of the connecting calls to frame this second gathering and invite participants to begin thinking about the future of the partnership. slide 46: revisiting the first session Slide 47: revisiting the first session Facilitator Tip (Slides 46-47): Offer participants an opportunity to reflect on what they shared during the first session while doing the grid activity. Invite them to add to any of the four quadrants or the values circle. Slide 48: An equation for collaboration Facilitator Tip (Slide 48): Much like in the first session it is helpful to being by framing the process and what the day will be about., With help from the group walk through each component of this equation, reflecting on where and how in the building collaboration process each item was identified by the group. This can help contextualize the process and serve as a quick but powerful reminder to the group about Why and How their collaborative efforts can yield positive outcomes for those they are seeking to better serve. Use this brief activity to segue into the brainstorming process. Slide 49: Collaborative Brainstorming Slide 50: Collaborative Brainstorming Facilitator Tip (Slides 49-50): The primary goal of this task is to offer the group an opportunity to experience the process of collaborative thinking and collective problem solving. Exploring multiple ideas and possibilities is preferable to finding the perfect solution. This step is less about finding answers than it is about sharing in a collaborative process that feels productive and creative. Reflections from the Pilot: While engaged in this activity during a pilot session, one group of participants focused on the challenge of providing grant related technical assistance to the many CAC’s in the state who receive VOCA funds. Addressing each CAC’s questions one by one was time consuming and repetitive. One creative approach that was surfaced involved CAC’s sharing their questions during a quarterly regional call with the Chapter. The chapter would then collect and condense the questions and explore them in a conversation with a representative from the VOCA agency. Once answers to the most pressing questions were found, they were shared with the CAC’s by the Chapter, streamlining the process for everyone. Slide 51: strategic vision setting Facilitator Tip (Slide 51): While intentionally similar to the brainstorming process, this activity serves the deeper purpose of helping the group to look forward toward collaborative partnership in action. As facilitator, encourage the group to consider larger system-level issues that impact the group as a whole. You may need to help the group here to see how collectively they can begin to address such large challenges together. For example, if the group surfaces the challenge of connecting services to a historically marginalized community, walk them through the questions listed here to move from the big picture challenge all the way down to small collaborative efforts that will have direct impact for that community. Be sure to capture all that the group surfaces on a flip chart or through careful notetaking. While you will only drill down to one or two solutions here and now, the other areas of focus can be revisited by the group in a quarterly partnership call or future gathering which has more dedicated time for strategic planning. Slide 52: Sustaining partnership Facilitator Tip (Slide 52): One closing activity that can help cement the idea of sustaining partnership is to ask each group member to set and share an intention that will continue to foster the collaborative partnership. It could be as simple as “I will connect with one partner in this group by phone each week.” Asking participants to write down their intention on a sticky note or index card, then placing it in a spot they will see it daily can help to ensure their intentions are carried out. It can also be helpful to have the group reflect on what will make it challenging to follow through on their intentions. This helps to acknowledge that partnership takes works and needs to be prioritized if competing demands and obligations are not to interfere. Slide 53: looking forward Reflections from Pilot (Slide 53): In each of the pilot projects teams came together in impressive ways, building on existing relationships and forming new ones to develop a strong collaborative partnership. In both settings the teams found value in partnership that had not been previously recognized. The teams have setup ongoing calls at regular intervals to keep connected and continue to look for opportunities to build further collaboration. A dedicated opportunity to get to know their partners, learn about what they do, and find ways to work together was reported in both pilots as having tremendous value. There is every indication that these partnerships will continue and that their efforts will result in improved outcomes for children and youth victims of crime.