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Community collaboratives with broader interest and experience in policy development can do more than assemble information and provide opportunities for community dialogue. They can become partners with state and local welfare agencies and other key stakeholders in the actual development, implementation, and oversight of welfare-reform policy.
It is critical for collaboratives to be intimately familiar with the needs of their communities. But having that expertise won't change conditions for children and families. Collaboratives need to use their knowledge to negotiate for new strategies, and that means getting more involved in complicated program design and implementation issues.
A possible strategy
Activities that can help move the collaborative into the implementation arena, other than those already noted, include:
- Taking the lead responsibility for developing a community strategy that can evolve into the implementation plan.
- Forging linkages to tap the capacity and experience of other community groups that work with TANF families.
- Helping provider organizations develop the services and supports TANF participants need to succeed on the job.
- Providing continuous feedback to state officials on how welfare reform implementation is working, which families it affects, and what kinds of changes are necessary.
- Identifying the kinds of changes needed in state policy to achieve the goals of welfare reform.
- Participating in local and statewide groups that have oversight responsibility for welfare reform implementation.
