Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Perinatal Depression (PD) Project: Building and Sustaining

Partnerships

HRSA

Social Solutions InternationalMay 2012

Webinar Speakers and Guests

• Moderator: Cara Finley, MPH Social Solutions International, Inc.

• Keisher Highsmith, DrPHHRSA, Division of Healthy Start and Perinatal Services

• Speaker: Ami Lynch, PhDVice President, Gender and Special Populations

Social Solutions International, Inc.

• Speaker: Shelby WeeksNorth Carolina Healthy Start, Baby Love Plus

Objectives

• Discuss strategies for building and sustaining partnerships to better address IPV and PD.

• Discuss nontraditional partners and how they may help you better address IPV and PD.

• Learn how North Carolina Healthy Start is utilizing unique community partnerships to help enhance their mission.

Toolkit Goal

• Provide a guide that is culturally and linguistically appropriate to support community-based programs with making the case for why it is important to address the IPV/PD intersection

• Assist communities in reducing stigma and provide strategies for building partnerships and increasing support from leadership

• To improve the health and safety of families experiencing IPV and PD

Understanding Community Partnerships

Community Partnerships

• Refers to the relationship between the community-based program and external (or potential) stakeholders.

• Shared Responsibilityo Partners must give what they can, when they can, to grow

and support the relationship.o Generates increased responsibility, accountability, and

increased share of financial resources.

Purpose

• It is important to meet families where they are.

• Forming partnerships with the faith-based community, community centers, shelters etc. helps you reach an entirely new group of families who may be experiencing IPV and/or PD.

• Provides credibility.

• Helps with buy-in.

Benefits of Partnering

• Helps achieve the mission of addressing IPV and PD.

• Pools resources, expands the reach of limited resources, and increases efficiency.

• Integrates and coordinates services related to screening, referral, and treatment of IPV and PD.

• Shares best practices and lessons learned.

• Provides expertise in areas of weakness (funding, grant-writing, etc.)

Benefits of Partnering (cont.)

• Cross-trains staff.

• Increases and improves the referral network.

• Collects data to help support the case for needing or continuing the work.

• Builds communities.

Developing Organizational Goals and Infrastructure for Partnerships

Planning the Partnership

1. Create a vision and get leadership on-board with the plan.

2. Discuss the importance and benefits of a partnership.

3. Obtain staff buy-in and support.

• Communicate, listen, provide opportunities for staff to get

involved, open up to community involvement and work

together with your staff.

Leveraging Resources

Use existing consortia to help build partnerships and infrastructure.

• Smaller working groups within the consortium can be tasked to reach out and build new partnerships around IPV/PD.

• Existing consortium will also support the overall vision, values and goals and create strategic plans for developing partnerships around IPV/PD.

Creating a Work Group

• Utilize Tool 1 (Establishing an IPV/PD Work Group)

• Helps flesh out:o What the organization is really trying to accomplish;o What/Who it will need to get there; o What success will look like.

• Also clarifies the vision for when your organization will need to convince staff and potential partners of the needs and benefits of the partnership.

Identifying Non-Traditional Partners Within the Community

Recruitment Goals

• Pursue the voice of consumers in the community who will be utilizing the services to determine the needs, barriers, cultural ideals and opportunities to implement new initiatives.

• Consider reaching out to non-traditional partnerso Law Enforcement, Judicial Systemo Faith-Based Organizations, Employers, Schools/Daycares

• Ensure key leadership is representedo School-Board Members, City Council, Hospital Leaders, etc

Examples of Non Traditional Partners

Faith-based community Law enforcement/judicial system Shelters Local businesses Unemployment agencies Food banks Home-visiting programs Community centers Local media Daycares State Title V Medicaid, CHIP Volunteer organizations

Program Highlight #1:Des Moines Healthy Start (DMHS)

DMHS: • Faced cultural and language barriers due to a vast increase in

different refugee populations.• Partnered with local leaders in many of the different

populations.

These partnerships helped DMHS better understand:• Languages and cultures (norms & stigmas) • Challenges in reaching families experiencing IPV and PD

Who Should the Organization Partner With? (Fiester, 2004)

• Which stakeholders have an interest in the partnership that your organization is planning?

• Who might be willing to join the collaboration?

• Are potential partners willing to share their resources and capacities?

• How do the interests of each potential partner fit into the broader collaboration?

• Does our organization trust and respect the work and staff of each potential partner?

Strategies for Identifying Potential Partners

• The snowball approach

• Research organizations, introduce yourself

• Attend cultural and community events

• Always consider non-traditional partners and those who can assist with IPV/PD prevention

• Refer to Tool 2, Community Resource Inventory for Recognizing Potential Partners (pg 53)

Program Highlight #2:MomsFirst Healthy Start (MFHS)

MFHS Program (Cuyahoga County - Cleveland, OH): • Has been extremely successful in developing a Referral Care

Pathway to streamline the referral process with partnering organizations across the County.

• Reduced the wait time for a woman who screened positive for perinatal depression from 2 months to less than 2 weeks

o Ensured that the woman is contacted and spoken to within 72 hours of a positive screen

Prevention Through Partnerships

Forging strong partnerships with so-called safety-net programs (unemployment agencies, shelters, food banks, etc) focuses attention on prevention of IPV/PD.

• Partnerships focusing on prevention may help each other raise awareness and cross-promote each other’s services.

• Prevention of IPV/PD is the ultimate goal.

Reaching Out to Partners and Marketing Opportunities

Reaching Out

Nominate someone to reach out to a potential partner who:

• Is passionate about addressing IPV & PD

• Knows the topic well

• Understands your organization’s missions and values

• Understands and can articulate how this partnership will

be mutually beneficial

General Steps

1. Identify a point of contact in the potential partner

organization and set up a meeting.

2. Do your homework -- Research target person/persons.

3. Develop an outline of opportunities.

4. State what you are looking for from the meeting.

5. Listen to the potential partner.

General Steps (cont.)

6. Reach agreement and close the deal.• Commitment to a particular course of action.• Agreement on general values, goals, and principle.

TIPS• Bring along fact sheets/brochures/supplementary

materials/reports/business cards• Focus on accountability and consider completing a

Memorandum of Understanding

Building and Sustaining Partnerships

Challenges & Opportunities

Organizations often suggest that the most difficult task is sustaining and building upon a partnership once it has been established.

Key Steps for Sustaining the Relationship• Regular communication and meetings.• Invite partners to events and cross-promote each other.

• Update goals for the partnership.• Be flexible to change.

• Move past monetary support.

Key Steps for Sustaining the Relationship (cont.)

• Record Statistics.

• Market the work done by the partners.o Consider inviting unconventional partners such as grocery stores

or coffee shops to help with events and marketing (refer to Section 4, Raising Awareness (pg 60))

• Find opportunities to share resources.

Characteristics of Successful Partnerships (Nelson, 2005)

1. Purpose

• Clear and common goals based on mutual benefit

2. Process• Understanding and consulting stakeholders• Clarity of roles and responsibilities• Understanding resource needs

3. Progress

• Continuous learning and adaptation

Tools and Resources

• The Community Tool Boxhttp://ctb.ku.edu/en/default.aspx

• Office of Partnerships and Grant Serviceshttp://www.opgd.dc.gov/opgd/site/default.asp

• Office of Partnerships and Grant Serviceshttp://www.cadca.org/

North Carolina Healthy Start Baby Love Plus:Partnerships and Partnership Building

Health Resources and Services Administration Intimate Partner Violence/Perinatal Depression Resource

Development Project

Shelby M. Weeks, MHSNorth Carolina Healthy Start Baby Love Plus Program

Supervisor

Objectives

• Summary of North Carolina Healthy Start Baby Love Plus Program

• History of North Carolina State Title V Partners and Partnerships

• North Carolina State Title V and NC Healthy Start Baby Love Plus Contribution to Its Partners

• North Carolina Healthy Start Northeastern Baby Love Plus-Strengthening Systems of Care/Family Violence Initiative

North Carolina’s Three Healthy Start Baby Love Plus Program Regions

• North Carolina has two counties that make up the NC Triad Baby Love Plus Region.

• Five counties that make up the NC Northeastern Baby Love Plus region.

• Seven counties that make up the NC Eastern Baby Love Plus region.

Program Profile

Three HS Projects: ■ Fourteen Counties, Mostly Rural Areas ■ Poverty, Unemployment, Isolation■ Limited Health Care options (mainly public clinics)■ Infant Mortality Rates over 16 per 1,000 for minorities (> 3 x White rate) ■ High Medicaid (65% of deliveries)■ High Prevalence Co-Morbidities: diabetes, obesity, hypertension

North Carolina State Title V and Healthy Start

• HRSA-MCHS-Division of Healthy Start & Perinatal Services

• NC Department of Health & Human Services• NC Division of Public Health• Women’s and Children’s Health Section• Women’s Health Branch

North Carolina State Title V and Healthy Start, cont.

• NC Division of Public Health• Women’s Health Branch• NC Baby Love Plus Program• Eastern BLP• Northeastern BLP• Triad BLP

North Carolina State Title V Partners and Partnership Development

History of Title V Partnerships•Local health departments and health districts•Local coalitions (Infant Mortality, Domestic Violence, etc.)•Interagency (NC Division of Public Health Women’s Health Branch) collaborations• Women’s Health Branch• Children and Youth Branch• Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities

Partners and Partnership Development

“Non-Traditional” Partners:• Faith-based organizations• Tribal organizations• Community Colleges• Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Examples:• Ministry of Health and Lay Health Advisors (training of

lay leaders, health and wellness ministries) • Haliwa Saponi Indian Tribe (community outreach event,

presentations, funding)• Preconception Health Peer Educator Training

North Carolina State Title V and NC Healthy Start Baby Love Plus:Contribution to Its Partners

•Training/Technical assistance•Subject matter experts•Funding (as available)•Resource guides •Tool kits•Marketing materials/incentives

Strengthening Systems of Care to Address Family Violence During and Around the Time of Pregnancy Initiative

HRSA Funded Initiative (2002-2005) Northeastern HS Baby Love Plus

(across 5 rural NC counties) Focus areas: regional consortium

involvement, training, linkages and coordination across service systems, case management, and development and implementation of referral protocols

Strengthening Systems of Care to Address Family Violence During and Around the Time of Pregnancy Initiative, cont.

Partners include:• Local health department staff• Administrators• Health care providers• East Carolina University (School of Social Work)• Law enforcement • Domestic violence shelters • Counseling agencies• Male involvement service providers• Male partners• NEBLP Regional Consortium members• Local clergy

North Carolina State Title V and Healthy Start Baby Love Plus Commitment

Is committed to the belief that communities, guided by consumers, local leaders and organizations from various sectors, can best design and implement the services that meet the needs of women of childbearing age, infants

and their families in each community.

Contact Information:

Shelby Weeks, MHSNorth Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

Division of Public HealthNC Healthy Start Baby Love Plus Program

Shelby.Weeks@dhhs.nc.gov919-707-5707 (office)

919-870-4827 (fax)

Questions or Comments?

Contact Information:

Keisher Highsmith, DrPH khighsmith@hrsa.gov

Ami Lynch, PhD alynch@socialsolutions.biz