SERVICE PROVIDERS PERCEPTIONS OF INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION IN THEIR COMMUNITIES

In 1990, the Illinois State Board of Education established an initiati ve to develop community-based services for students with emotional and behavioral disorders and to reduce out-of-community placements. Sever al model projects were established throughout the state. Interagency c ollaboration was identified as a key component of each project. The pu rposes of this study were to examine how direct-service providers acro ss the various childcare agencies (e.g., mental health, children and f amily services, juvenile probation, local education) perceived current collaborative processes, in general and to determine whether the diff erent agencies' specific opinions regarding collaboration converged or diverged. Findings support a consensus of opinion regarding collabora tion across the various service-provider groups. Implications for curr ent practice and future training are discussed.