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Project Connect Ingham Building Bridges for a Smooth Transition
Project Connect Ingham
Project Connect Ingham is an ambitious program that aims to provide students receiving special education
services in Michigan’s Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton tri-county area with assistance in transitioning from children
services to adult services. The project is a joint undertaking by the Ingham Intermediate School District (Ingham
ISD), Community Mental Health (CMH), and Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS). Working alongside
students, families, and education providers these agencies will create individualized plans based on each
student’s wants and needs to empower them to achieve their future goals and aid in their transition into
adulthood. Each agency provides a wide variety of supportive services that help to keep young people embedded
in their communities and empower them to take control of their lives.
Ingham Intermediate School District (Ingham ISD)
Ingham ISD is a regional education service agency that provides hundreds of programs and services to students,
families, and educators. The primary goal of Ingham ISD is to improve educational opportunities for all children
and it provides services to seven counties in Michigan, but mainly works with schools in Ingham County (“About
Ingham Intermediate School District”, 2009). Ingham ISD offers a myriad of different academic services, such as:
arts integration, career services and technical education, early childhood education, gifted and talented services,
special education services, and transition services. They provide services both inside the school and within the
community to help students and families maximize their resources and utilize everything available from public
education.
Ingham ISD’s involvement in Project Connect will primarily consist of providing special education and transition
services. Over 7,000 students receive special education services from Ingham ISD due to physical, cognitive, or
emotional handicaps (“Student Support Services / Special Education”, 2009). Students that are eligible for special
education services are able to receive supports from birth through age 26. Ingham ISD collaborates with local
school districts, public school academies, as well as non-public schools to provide services within classrooms and
even run their own district classrooms and center-based programs. In order to assist schools in meeting the
dynamic needs of these students, Ingham ISD also provides them with financial, legal, instructional, and technical
support.
Students receiving special education services have their own set of personalized educational requirements and to
ensure that their needs are met, each child has their own Individualized Educational Program (IEP). The IEP
details the services that the child will receive and any other special instructions that educators and other providers
are to follow (“Guide to Special Education”, 2012). Because the child’s needs are constantly changing, IEPs are
updated at least annually and families have the option of calling a meeting at any time with the IEP team, which
consists of representatives from each agency providing services, to have their needs reevaluated.
Transition services include activities designed to assist the student in moving from school to activities after
completing their education. These types of activities could include services to assist in career development, post
secondary education, and adult assisted living (“Guide to Special Education”, 2012). For students already
receiving community assistance services, such as through CMH, transition services could also entail helping shift
students from children services to adult services.
Background and Context
1
Community Mental Health (CMH)
Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties (CMH) located in Lansing, Michigan
provides a variety of services for people with developmental, emotional, and mental disabilities, such as service
coordination, clinical support services, children’s services, adult vocational services, and adult residential services
(“CMH Services”, 2002). For Project Connect, CMH will assess interested individuals for eligibility. Once
determined eligible, services are made available according to an individual’s need and level of care. The services
that CMH provides are designed to help families maintain their children within the home, and assist adults to
become productive independent community members.
Some services provided by CMH include:
Support Coordination/Targeted Case Management –
Assessing the needs of clients and families,
coordinating mental health, physical health,
community resources, and education resources.
Respite Care Services – Temporary relief to provide
the care-giver(s) with a break.
In Home Community Living Supports (CLS) – In home
support for individuals that are living independently or
in their family home.
Family Support Training – Educating families on
strategies that will allow them to interact with and care
for their child more effectively.
Clinical Support Services – Psychotherapy,
psychiatry, speech and language therapy,
occupational therapy, nutritional guidance, nursing,
and crisis management.
Students participating in Project Connect will be
evaluated for these services and an individualized plan
will be developed with them based on their needs.
2
Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS)
Roughly 1.3 million individuals with disabilities reside in Michigan and MRS works to serve this population by
ensuring that they have access to quality employment opportunities. MRS partners with these individuals to
prepare them to compete in the job market as well as exploring with them the possibility of self-employment or
owning their own business (Porter, 2012). Additionally, MRS collaborates with employers to help them locate and
maintain employment of individuals with disabilities. MRS operates through its 35 dedicated field offices across
the state and through the more than 100 Michigan Works! Service Centers. Annually, MRS assists more than
7,000 individuals with disabilities acquire employment and supports others in remaining employed.
Eligibility for MRS services is based on the presence of a mental or physical disability, barriers to acquiring or
performing work due to the disability, and the necessity to receive services from MRS. While potential clients can
apply for MRS services themselves or be referred by a wide range of agencies, eligibility can only be determined
by an MRS counselor following an evaluation. If deemed eligible, clients are paired with an MRS rehabilitation
counselor to develop a four step process for procuring employment. First, the client works with their counselor to
develop a job goal based on their individual talents and interests. Counselors provide assessments, vocational
testing, work evaluations, and job try-outs as needed for the completion of this step. Second, once the client has
decided on their goal, together with their counselor they construct a plan that outlines what services will be
needed and who will provide them. Third, the client engages in the plan by utilizing the services, which can be
provided by MRS staff as well as other agencies and may include services such as job-seeking skills training,
acquiring equipment for work, and transportation assistance. Finally, the counselor helps the client obtain their
desired job and follows up with them for at least 90 days to ensure that they are both satisfied and to provide
additional services as needed (“Who May Receive MRS Services?”, 2002).
The services that clients received are individually tailored to meet their needs and wants. For Project Connect,
MRS will work with CMH, Ingham ISD, and the schools to provide these vital employment services to the
indentified students. For students who will not yet require transition services, MRS also has a Youth Employment
Services Program that teaches students about different types of jobs and helps them discover their interests.
3
Community Systems
As Project Connect is a joint program by Ingham ISD, CMH, and MRS, planning for the implementation of the
project involved all of those systems. Moreover, each of those systems coordinated with other community
systems to deliver additional services for the project. For example, in addition to the hundreds of services that
Ingham ISD provides to students, families, and educators, they also partner with local school districts, public
school academies, as well as non-public schools to provide services within and outside of the classroom. CMH
also partners with other agencies to provide services such Residential Options Incorporated (ROI), which
provides residential support to individuals with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities. Finally, in their
efforts to prepare individuals with disabilities to compete in the job market as well as exploring with them the
possibility of self-employment or owning their own business, MRS also collaborates with employers to help them
locate and maintain employment of individuals with disabilities. Thus, while Ingham ISD, CMH, and MRS each
provide a wealth of services themselves, they also engage with other systems to provide even more.
Key Players
The key players involved in Project Connect are the representatives from Ingham ISD, CMH, MRS, and education
providers. The Ingham ISD Transition Coordinator is the main organizer for this project and is at the forefront of
the majority of the planning. CMH representatives will take part in planning the project and engaging with
transition coordinators; MRS representatives will engage in a similar role, but the types of services that they offer
will differ. Education providers will supply service providers with information about the children and take part in the
development of plans for the students.
Project Connect Ingham Description Pilot Phase
Project Connect is currently in its pilot phases and actions to move it along are ongoing. The project is being
spearheaded by the Ingham ISD, with strong commitment from teams at CMH and MRS. Given that the goal of
the initiative is to help students smoothly transition into adult services, the success of the project will be measured
in part by the number of students indentified as eligible for CMH and/or MRS services. Only students with an IEP
will be evaluated for eligibility for Project Connect, but an IEP alone does not guarantee a spot in the project;
students must also require a transition plan and additional services from the partnered agencies. Each school
participating in Project Connect will have transition coaches tasked with identifying potentially eligible students
and meeting with representatives from other agencies. Beyond CMH, MRS, and Ingham ISD staff, partnerships
with additional community agencies are planned for the future. For the 2012-2013 school year, Haslett, Waverly,
and Webberville High Schools will participate in Project Connect, with the project planned to expand to the
remaining schools in the Ingham ISD by 2015. These schools were selected for the pilot phase as they represent
a suburban, urban, and rural school respectively. Project Connect will involve close cooperation between the
project staff, schools, and families to assist students receiving special education services in transitioning from
children services to adult services. The results and data collected during this pilot phase will be used to make the
process more efficient as more schools get added to Project Connect.
4
Process Information
Project Connect representatives from Ingham ISD, CMH, and MRS will meet monthly for individual meetings with
district transition coaches to discuss currently indentified students and updates on the project. In the beginning,
coaches will prioritize senior, junior, sophomore, and freshman students with active IEPs to identify the students
with the highest needs and those closest to graduation. Ingham ISD, CMH, and MRS will gather data on the
students in each grade level to determine the level of need and the types of services that would be most
beneficial. For example, data such as the student’s currently existing transition plan, IEP, and input from the
student, family, and school are among the types of data that will be collected and utilized by the partner agencies.
Once students have been identified for Project Connect, they will attend monthly meetings with a team of
representatives from each agency to develop a transition plan, to support the student in indentifying their future
goals, and connecting them with services to achieve those goals.
Planning & Flowchart
Thus far, the planning process for Project Connect has consisted primarily of monthly meetings of representatives
of Ingham ISD, CMH, and MRS. Rather than having a set time limit, meetings tend to continue until all goals on
the agenda have been accomplished. In between meetings, each agency has specific tasks to accomplish related
to the next steps for the project and all representatives have the option of suggesting tasks for the next meeting.
As Project Connect progresses, it is expected that the meetings will become more frequent as involvement by
schools and other agencies increases. Additionally, as the project continues, meetings to monitor and evaluate
progress will likely be needed on a regular basis in order to utilize the collected data as soon as possible.
This flowchart outlines the currently anticipated trajectory of Project Connect following the planning process:
5
Below is a more detailed explanation of each of the steps in the flowchart:
1. Project Connect Transition Coaches, who are tasked with identifying potentially eligible students, will
meet with Ingham ISD, MRS, and CMH representatives to be introduced to the project and what will be
expected of them. From this point on, Ingham ISD, MRS, and CMH representatives will meet individually
with Transition Coaches at their assigned schools to discuss students and updates on the project.
2. In the beginning, coaches will prioritize senior, junior, sophomore, and freshman students with active
Individualized Educational Programs (IEP), which are detailed instructions for services that educators and
other providers are to follow for children receiving special education services, to identify the students with
the highest needs and those closest to graduation.
3. Ingham ISD, MRS, and CMH representatives will collect data on potentially participating students to
determine their level of need and the types of services they would most benefit from.
4. Project Connect representatives and Transition Coaches will schedule individual meetings with potentially
participating students in order of priority to assess their level of need.
5. Students selected for Project Connect and interested in participating will have to provide a signed release
of information from a parent/guardian. Any data collected on the students will be used for more efficient
service delivery and for improving Project Connect.
6. Participating students will attend monthly meetings with a team of representatives from each agency to
develop a transition plan, to support the student in indentifying their future goals, and connecting them
with services to achieve those goals.
Planned Interventions
Data Collection
To begin getting an idea about the students at the schools, Project Connect representatives will collect data, such
as initials, birth date, age, and currently utilized accommodations from the schools. Because the data collected
will not include indentifying information, the schools should be able to provide this without needing releases of
information.
Assessment
Assessment will be another key component of Project Connect and will occur continually throughout the program.
Ingham ISD, CMH, and MRS representatives will all be involved in assessing the students as each program
differs in its eligibility requirements. However, because only students with an IEP will be considered for Project
Connect, it is likely that all of those accepted into the program will be eligible for services from all of the agencies.
Service Delivery
Because monthly meetings with the students will continue throughout the duration of their participation in Project
Connect, their services can be tailored as necessary to meet their needs. The students, their families, and the
schools will all be closely involved in the delivery of services and can offer input and feedback to the project
representatives at any time.
6
Current Progress Proposal Finalization
The Project Connect proposal developed over the span of several months with input from representatives from
each of the participating agencies has been finalized and submitted to decision makers at Ingham ISD, who are
spearheading the project. The proposal contains a definition of the project, its goals, the intended audience,
community partners, an overview of the process, and contact information for agency representatives.
School Meetings
Meetings between Project Connect representatives and the Haslett, Waverly, and Webberville High Schools’
transition coaches and staff have been ongoing since April 2013. The meetings are intended to provide the
students and staff with an overview of the project, what they can expect, and how they can get involved. By
beginning the meetings close to the end of the school year, students, families, and school staff had adequate time
to prepare for Project Connect’s implementation in the 2013-2014 school year.
7
Key Issues Need for Continuous Evaluation
Because Project Connect is in its pilot phases, much of what will be done is unprecedented in the area. Moreover,
the level of collaboration between the community partners involved in the project will require consistent and
thorough interagency communication to ensure that the students’ needs are met. Thus, it will be vital that all of the
parties involved are vigilantly pursuing improvement of their processes and programs. Tidd, Bessant, and Pavitt
(2005) outline several techniques to facilitate continuous improvement in community practice, with problem-
solving cycles appearing to be the most useful for this project. Utilizing a problem-solving cycle makes it possible
to conceptualize problems in a way that allows for relatively easy improvement. Below on the left the steps in the
process are outlined and on the right the process is applied to the potential problem of individual meetings with
students not being long enough to the problem-solving cycle:
Indentify – Recognizing the problem or issue
that needs changing
Define – Putting parameters around the issue
and separating the initial problem from
underlying issues. This narrows the focus and
allows for actions specifically designed for the
problem
Explore – Brainstorming and utilizing tools to
develop potential solutions to the problem
Select – Evaluating the options from the
previous step and selecting one to use
Implement – Putting the selected intervention
into action
Review – Examining the results of the
intervention and the current status of the
problem. From here the cycle starts over with
a new problem being indentified or, if the
same one is still present, another attempt is
made to solve the problem
Indentify – Meeting times with individual
students are too short
Define – Services are not being adequately
delivered
Explore – Potential solutions to the problem
o Increase length of meetings by:
Putting more staff on Project
Connect
Waitlisting more students
o Meet twice monthly instead of once
Select – Increase length of meetings by
putting more staff on Project Connect
Implement – Find additional people to work on
Project Connect from each agency so that
each representative has a smaller caseload
Review – Examine the results of the change
by assessing student, family, and school
satisfaction
From here the team can assess the problem from the first step again if it still persists, or move on to a new problem. Continuous and collaborative use of this tool as problems arise will allow all of the agencies involved to focus their efforts on solving situations one by one and utilizing those experiences to handle future issues more efficiently.
8
The Convergence of Micro and Macro Practices
Because Project Connect entails both community based and clinical interventions, it will involve the blending of
both the micro and macro realms of social work, which may pose some difficulty. However, as Austin, Coombs,
and Barr (2005) discuss, the longstanding tension between the differing approaches clinical and community social
work take to solving human problems need not be a source of conflict. With clinical social work’s focus on the
individual and community social work’s focus on the broader context, bridging the two approaches and utilizing
resources from both will allow for even better services for the students. In order to avoid the pitfalls of this blended
approach, which is commonly referred to as community-centered clinical practice, the agency partners will have
to remain in close contact with each other, capitalize on their similarities, and find ways to make the most of their
differences.
Community-centered clinical utilizes the assets of both practice methods by acknowledging both the individual
and the context in which they exist as areas of focus. Clinical social work skills such as individual assessment,
enhancing psychosocial functioning, and assisting in interpersonal relationships are all key components of Project
Connect. Likewise, community social work skills such empowering people to work together to change their lives
through community development, organizing the communities involved, and coordinating services for the
community through community planning are key components of Project Connect as well (Austin, Coombs, & Barr,
2005). By utilizing this multifaceted approach, Project Connect aims to leave a lasting impact not just on the
individuals themselves, but also on the environment in which they live.
9
Assessment of Strengths and Challenges SWOT Analysis
To gain insight into the facilitators, inhibitors, and challenges for Project Connect, the Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis below examines some of those factors and the following section
looks at them in more detail. In addition to providing a clear look at the positives and negatives both within the
project and in the external environment, a SWOT analysis can also help to illuminate new possibilities and
solutions to problems (“SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats”, 2012). Because
Project Connect will involve a high level of interagency collaboration, it is essential that all parties are
knowledgeable about their shared strengths and the potential pitfalls that they need to avoid. The SWOT analysis
below takes into account the shared strengths of Ingham ISD, CMH, MRS, the students, families, schools, and the
rest of the community, as well as threats to success from within and outside the project:
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Strengths and Facilitators
Although Project Connect is still getting off of the ground, the team is highly motivated and has very experienced
representatives from each agency. Moreover, the representatives from each of the partner agencies have
excellent working relationships and have collaborated with each other on other projects. The schools are also
familiar with many of the representatives from their work in other capacities; thus, while this project may be the
first of its kind for the agencies involved, each of the representatives bring with them a wealth of experience and
knowledge to the table. Additionally, although only three schools will be taking part in this pilot phase, many
schools have already expressed an interest in Project Connect and want to be a part of it.
Challenges and Inhibitors
Given the unprecedented nature of the project, representatives will need to gain initial data and learn as the
project moves along. This may inhibit the providing of services early on as staff get acclimated to the project and
coordinating with the other agencies and educators. In many ways, this pilot phase will rely on trial and error to
learn effective methods for interventions in subsequent school years.
Additionally, there are two potential challenges involving students that may play a role in Project Connect. First,
the volume of potential students that could take part in the project could be overwhelming, especially for the
limited number of people currently working on Project Connect. If the volume of students is too high, it may result
in scheduled meetings with students needing to be shorter than optimal. Since reduced meeting times could
result in poor service delivery, if that were to happen it is more likely that fewer students would be accepted into
Project Connect. The other potential problem is that each agency has different eligibility requirements for their
programs, which could lead to some students not receiving all of the services that could benefit them. For
example, even though a student could benefit from services from all of the agencies, they may be eligible for
MRS services but not for CMH services.
Ethics, Values, and Social Justice Goals
Project Connect’s goal to provide early intervention services and to help facilitate a smooth transition into
adulthood for students with disabilities are closely aligned with social work ethics and values. If anything, this
project goes above and beyond by seeking out students who could be potentially eligible and bringing services
right to them. Moreover, the project also furthers the participating agencies’ social justice goals by helping to
prevent students with disabilities from falling through the cracks in services, which tends to commonly occur
during the transition into adulthood. Although specific goals and objectives for Project Connect have yet to be
defined, representatives will measure success by the number of students that are able to connect with services
and develop additional measurable criteria as the pilot continues.
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References
Austin, M. J., Coombs, M., & Barr, B. (2005). Community-centered clinical practice: Is the integration of micro
and macro social work practice possible? Journal of Community Practice, 13(4), 9-30.
CEI-CMHA, (2002). CMH Services. Retrieved from http://www.ceicmh.org/services.htm
Department of Human Services, (2012). Who May Receive MRS Services? Retrieved from
http://www.michigan.gov/dhs/0,4562,7-124-5453_25392_40237_40239-15709--,00.html
Ingham Intermediate School District, (2009). About Us. Retrieved from http://www.inghamisd.org/about/
Ingham Intermediate School District, (2012). Guide to Special Education. Retrieved from
http://www.inghamisd.org/downloads/_acct_/00/00/02/
12/parent_handbook_guide_to_special_education__rev_3112_20120307_140212_2.pdf
Ingham Intermediate School District, (2009). Student Support Services / Special Education. Retrieved from
http://www.inghamisd.org/academic-services/specialeducation/
The Community Tool Box, (2012). Ch. 3, Assessing Community Needs and Resources, Section 14 – “SWOT
Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats”.
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/section_1049.aspx
Tidd, J., Bessant, J., & Pavitt, K. (2005). Managing Innovation Tools: Continuous Improvement: Specific
Techniques. Retrieved on August 5, 2012 at
http://www.managinginnovation.com/tools/Continuous%20Improvement.pdf
Porter, J., (2012). Michigan Rehabilitation Services. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/dhs/0,4562,7-124-
5453_25392---,00.html
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PROJECT CONNECT INGHAM
2630 W. Howell Road, Mason, MI, 48854 • Phone: 517-244-1211
