ChampionsInC Builds Community Coalitions

Are you aware of any efforts in your community designed to organize services so that families of children with special needs can use them more easily? Are any community coalitions in your area focused on improving the health and well-being of children with special health needs? If you would be interested in helping to organize a collaborative task force for ensuring that developmental screening occurs or for establishing an interagency council to address the needs of CSHCN and their families in your community, Champions for Inclusive Communities (ChampionsInC) can help you.

Champions for Inclusive Communities is a project at the CPD that supports states and communities to implement community- based systems of services and supports for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and their families.

They have developed a fact sheet called "Evidence-Based Practices for Coalition Building" that outlines steps to help communities establish effective community coalitions. Community coalitions can work to improve many aspects of the health service system for children. You may download this fact sheet by going to their web site at http://www.championsinc.org/coalition/ebp_coalition_building_behl.cfm

Numerous resources related to the development of community systems are also available on the ChampionsInC website. Tools for building a system of services and tools for achieving the performance measures, as well as a simplified, four-step building process and other resources, are all available online. For more information, visit http://www.championsinc.org/