PRIMER HANDS ON: SYSTEMS OF CARE TRAINING FOR LEADERS

• Overview of the Initiative and Criteria for Participating
• Further Detail About the Initiative
• Signing Up To Participate

Primer Hands On is an exciting training initiative to build a network of key leaders who are trained in a detailed understanding of what it takes to build effective systems of care. Based on Building Systems of Care: A Primer by Sheila Pires, the training covers the structure and elements of effective systems of care and the strategic processes essential to engaging partners in systems building.

Overview of the Initiative and Criteria for Participating

This initiative targets leaders across agencies from states, tribes and communities, in family organizations, and in neighborhoods who already play influential roles in the development of systems of care for children at-risk for or with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Through a series of two-day sessions, leaders will learn how to use the organizing framework and strategic approach laid out in Building Systems of Care: A Primer to advance system building at the state, tribal, and community levels. After completing the orientation, participants will be given training materials to use in their work with other groups. Participants will be asked to join a network of leaders who have completed past trainings. The purpose of the network is to serve as a support group and to respond to requests from states, tribes, and communities, for training to assist with their systems of care planning efforts.

The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health at Georgetown University is managing this effort as a partnership with the Center for Mental Health Services, the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, the Statewide Family Networks Technical Assistance Center, and the Technical Assistance Partnership at the American Institutes for Research.

Each individual interested in participating must meet the following criteria and expectations:

• Occupies a key position or plays a key role in the development of systems of care at the national, state, tribal or community level;
• Has a baseline of knowledge about building systems of care that this training can enhance;
• Is a strategic thinker and leader;
• Is in a position to work with others on building systems of care;
• Agrees to be part of a national network built to ensure the quality of training provided, assist others with strategic planning, and provide feedback to further improve the Primer as a strategic planning tool; and
• Either has or has access to funds to pay transportation, hotel, meals and other costs to attend the training (there is no registration fee).

Further Detail About the Initiative

Sheila Pires of the Human Service Collaborative and author of the Primer will take the lead in conducting the training. Her co-trainers are Lisa Conlan, with the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, and Kathy Lazear, with the Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health at the University of South Florida. The co-trainers bring expertise in the areas of family partnership and cultural diversity to the training. The training will cover in depth material from the Primer, including:

• Effective engagement of states, tribes, communities and organizations in building systems of care;
• A strategic approach to system building;
• Critical elements of effective system building processes;
• Key functions that need to be structured in systems of care;
• The pros and cons of different structural approaches; and
• How process and structure affect the experiences of those involved in system building and outcomes.

Sheila Pires developed the curriculum for the training based on using Building Systems of Care: A Primer as a tool for teaching a strategic approach to system building. The curriculum incorporates scenarios related to system building that require strategic leadership that participants can practice using the framework in the Primer. Our hope is that those who complete the training will then be able to "replicate" it with other stakeholders in states, tribes and communities. Participants will be provided with PowerPoint slides on a CD to assist them in their work.

We have linked those who have participated in these capacity-building trainings to one another and to the trainers through a list-serve, e-mail, and telephone exchange. In this way, "back up support" can be provided to participants both from the trainers and from other participants. In addition, we want to build in a quality improvement process that creates multiple opportunities for feedback on the use of the Prime, encouraging input that will continuously improve the Primer and the training.

We are also asking participants who go through the training to be willing to be part of a network that responds to requests from states, tribes, communities and organizations for assistance with strategic planning in building their systems of care. Individuals in the network will be asked to assist other groups as part of their current jobs or through reimbursement for time and expenses. Individuals in the network will be matched to groups requesting assistance and will be asked to assist others only to the extent they have time available.

By the end of 2004, this initiative will produce a cadre near 100 individuals representing key stakeholder groups at national, state, tribal and local levels who are grounded in a common strategic framework and approach to building systems of care. It is intended to strengthen a community of strategic thinkers who will disseminate this framework and strategic approach to system building across diverse stakeholders. In this respect, the "reach" of the initiative extends beyond the individuals who participate in the training to the many stakeholders with whom they will work.

Signing Up To Participate

The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health is supporting this initiative with funding from the Center for Mental Health Services. There is no registration fee. However, participants are responsible for all their expenses in attending the two-day orientation session. This includes transportation, hotel, meals and miscellaneous expenses.

The training sessions are offered twice a year. Please email childrensmh@georgetown.edu for more information.