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CPCWelcome to
The Connecticut Prevention Collaborative
A Statewide Forum for Information Exchange and Community Connections!


 

The Connecticut Prevention Collaborative is a community of individuals and organizations dedicated to supporting the optimal health and well being of individuals, families and communities statewide. The CPC provides a forum for information and resource exchange and expands and sustains its membership through collaborative action. The CPC serves as a vehicle for professional development and builds bridges between individuals and within and across organizations for addressing turf issues and increasing trust.

Contact Us

Download the CPC Brochure & Membership Application

 

Membership
Benefits

Networking
Asset Mapping
Education
Showcasing
Coordination
Speakers Bureau
Technical Assistance
 
cpc brochure

Would you like to support and
be supported by the CPC to meet
your collaborative goals?

COMPLETE AN ASSET
MAPPING SURVEY!
Online
(if you are an Organization)

Individually
(through a personal conversation with a CPC member)
WHY COLLABORATE?

SOCIAL ECOLOGY
AND HEALTH *

"It takes a village to raise a child" is a proverb that captures the concept of ecological-systems thinking, It suggests that the individual is embedded in and influenced and supported or neglected by numerous systems or groups. Health promotion specialists have stressed the importance of multiple interventions at multiple levels of the ‘social ecology’ as a response to the severity and complexity of chronic health conditions that are rooted in a larger social, cultural, political, and economic fabric. Read the full article.

*Source: “Toward a Social Ecology of Community Coalitions” by Abraham Wandersman, Robert Valois, Leslie Ochs, David S. de la Cruz, Erica Adkins, Robert M. Goodman. American Journal of Health Promotion. March/April 1996, Vol.10.No.4

Collaboration Continuum

Time, turf and trust are core issues when people work together to achieve common goals. To ensure these issues don't become obstacles to success, consider the strategies of the progressive Collaboration Continuum, including networking, coordinating, cooperating, collaborating and integrating. Each of these strategies may be appropriate, depending upon particular circumstances.

The following definitions help people and organizations make appropriate choices about the working relationships they want to develop or strive towards.

Networking Exchanging information for mutual benefit. This is easy to do; it requires low initial level of trust, limited time availability and no sharing of turf.
Coordinating Exchanging information and altering program activities for mutual benefit and to achieve a common purpose. Requires more organizational involvement than networking, higher level of trust and some access to one's turf.
Cooperating Exchanging information, altering activities and sharing resources for mutual benefit and to achieve a common purpose. Increased organizational commitment may involve written agreements, shared resources can involve human, financial and technical contributions. Requires a substantial amount of time, high level of trust and significant sharing of turf.
Collaborating Exchanging information, altering activities, sharing resources and enhancing each other's capacity for mutual benefit and to achieve a common goal. The Qualitative difference to cooperating is that organizations and individuals are willing to learn from each other to become better at what they do. Collaborating means that organizations share risks, responsibilities and rewards. It requires a substantial time commitment, very high level of trust, and sharing turf.
Integrating Completely merging two organizations in regard to client operation as well as administrative structure.
*Source:

Cornell Collaboration and Community Building Curriculum, Final Report 2000

 

WHAT DOES IT TAKE
TO COLLABORATE?

  • Collaboration works if its foundation is clear. What is the purpose of the collaboration? What are the goals? What are the expectations, roles and responsibilities?
  • Collaboration takes time. It helps to have time management skills. It greatly helps to distinguish between short-term investments and long-term gains.
  • Collaboration takes personal commitment and confidence. Many people do not believe that collaboration works. It takes a positive attitude and commitment to overcome this hurdle.
  • Personal contact is essential to collaboration. Partners need to make a personal connection; they need to feel comfortable with each other; they need to trust each other.
  • Clear and open communication is critical. This requires that all participants understand each other's language and acronyms. Lack of clarity can lead to serious misunderstandings and conflict
  • Front line staff can only collaborate successfully if supported by supervisory and administrative staff.
  • Collaboration requires maintenance. Just like a car, any collaborative effort needs regular tune-ups, adjustments and re-fueling to run well.

*Source: Cornell Collaboration and Community Building Curriculum, Final Report 2000