Cross-system collaborations are central to the provision of services for young children with disabilities who have experienced abuse. While multiple position papers and policy briefs emphasize and encourage these cross-system collaborations between the Early Intervention and Child Welfare systems, very limited empirical research has examined these…

Background: Effective co-practice is essential to deliver services for children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). The necessary skills, knowledge and resources are distributed amongst professionals and agencies. Co-practice is complex and a number of barriers, such as "border disputes" and poor awareness of respective…

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine information systems-enabled interorganizational collaborations called public safety networks--their proliferation, information systems architecture, and technology evolution. These networks face immense pressures from member organizations, external stakeholders, and environmental contingencies. This…

Collaborative inter-professional practice (IPP) is hailed increasingly by policy-makers and a growing number of practitioners as "the" new form of professional practice for those working within and across services for children and young people. Based on desk research, and drawing upon an increasingly invasive use of the term…

Advances in medicine have increased the survival rates of children with complex medical conditions, including those who are dependent on technology such as ventilators and tracheostomies. The process of integrating children dependent on medical technology into public schools requires the collaboration of a multidisciplinary team to ensure that…

In Calgary, Alberta, Canada, cooperation between families, agencies and health care providers has resulted in services that improve the health and quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome. One of these is the multidisciplinary Down syndrome team at the Alberta Children's Hospital, which provides assessment, treatment and support based on…

This paper explains the interdisciplinary team concept blended with the family-centered approach in a psychiatric setting and applies the approach in a case study of a family with a child diagnosed with mental retardation, autism, and severe behavior problems. Practical suggestions for implementing such a family-centered/interdisciplinary team…

Describes a multilevel interagency transition-planning process which includes three levels: a community-based team, school-level team, and individual-level team. Evaluation data are discussed that indicate consumer satisfaction with the Teaching All Students Skills for Employment and Life Transition planning process. Three case studies are used to…

This study describes how European countries deal with the issues and practicalities surrounding early intervention services. The current situation in relation to early intervention is examined in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England and Wales, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Holland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Iceland,…

To understand more fully what factors lead to successful collaboration at the local level, case studies of five Common Good local linkage teams were conducted. Since 1990, 47 teams have been formed under the auspices of Common Good, a statewide project to facilitate development of local interagency linkage teams throughout Ohio. Local teams…

This paper provides basic information about telecommunication technologies that can be used to deliver training, education, public awareness activities, and other assistive-technology related services to individuals with disabilities in distant locations. The review of current and viable telecommunication technologies is accompanied by examples of…

This publication, in English and Spanish, is intended to assist in inclusion of transition from school to work components in the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for a student with a disability in middle school or high school. The guide begins with definitions of "transitions" and "success" and then offers vignettes of the…

Efforts to integrate the delivery of human service programs (HSP) in Colorado's El Paso County and Mesa County were examined through site visits and meetings with 34 members of HSP staff in both counties. The site visits confirmed that staff and management of HSP in both counties have implemented a series of client-centered processes to provide…