NCJ Number
197479
Date Published
September 2002
Length
61 pages
Annotation
This booklet reports on the efforts of the FICC and Communities Can! programs to reinforce the collaborative efforts of communities nationwide to develop and maintain effective support and services for children, including the disabled, and their families, and features a description of the first 10 Communities of Excellence and how they improved the service delivery for children and their families.
Abstract
The Federal Interagency Coordinating Council (FICC) was created by Congress in 1991 under the Individuals With Disabilities Act, to unite Federal agencies with shared goals and encourage interagency collaboration in provision of services to children and their families. This guide introduces the organization Communities Can!, which is supported by the FICC, and provides information on who can join and how to join. The authors discuss the process of recognizing excellence, the Communities of Excellence Awards, the nomination process, the selection criteria, the award celebrations, and lists the winning communities for 1999 and 2000. Several winning communities are highlighted with a discussion of one family's story, and what is special about each community. A discussion of the quest for further improvement includes identifying continuing challenges to integrated services, and how the FICC can support communities, with a description of its policy forum series. An appendix contains more information on the FICC including its mission statement, vision statement, and guiding principles.