Ways to Engage

Our Structure

The Partnership:

• The Partnership in its entirety refers to everyone who is part of this effort. This group of leaders and thinkers includes more than 135 people across the state representing philanthropy, research/evaluation, advocacy, community-based agencies, the state association of human service directors, medical professionals, early childhood, state office of economic security, state library, legal representation for parents. Additionally, state prevention organizations are involved, including home visiting and family resource centers.
• This broadest and largest space, drives decision making about the strategic direction of the Partnership, including around our priorities and goals, facilitates connections to support implementation of priority area plans, and to share successes and challenges in implementation to inspire collective learning.

The Partnership Leadership Team:

• The Partnership is guided by a 15 Member Leadership Team comprised of:
  • Family Voice Representatives
  • County Human Service Directors
  • County Public Health Directors
  • State departments of human services (both prevention and child welfare), public health, and health care financing and policy;
  • Illuminate Colorado – the Colorado Chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America
• The Leadership Team operates much like an executive committee and is responsible for providing feedback and support on implementation plans, offering nimble decision making on the implementation of current priorities, and determining when decisions need to be elevated to the Partnership as a whole.

The Partnership Family and Caregiver Space:

The Partnership Family and Caregiver Space is a group of parents and caregivers working collaboratively across the state of Colorado to engage families in creating conditions that allow all families to thrive. Learn more on the Families and Caregivers Page.

Counties/Regions:

To advance the three priorities of the Partnership, counties/regions participating lead the local implementation and drive connections and shared learning across local efforts.

Individuals/Organizations:

• Participate in Partnership Meetings: Partnership members meet on a bi-monthly basis to hear and share updates and make decisions about the Partnership’s next steps. Join the Partnership today to receive meeting information, including agendas, notes, and joining details.
• Attend Partnership Events/Learning Opportunities: The Partnership often hosts learning opportunities, listening sessions, and other events that are relevant to the work and mission of the organization. Visit the Partnership Calendar to find information on upcoming events and join the email list to receive information about new events straight to your inbox!
• Coming Soon: Join a Community of Practice: Communities of Practice are shared learning spaces characterized by a common purpose and peer influence. The primary role & purpose of Communities of Practice will be to deepen learning in order to support local and/or regional action and collaboration. These spaces may choose to create something together as is responsive to their shared learning, but it isn’t a requirement. The objectives of Communities of Practice include:
  • Building relationships to learn from one another.
  • Engaging in discussion, developing ideas, thinking through opportunities, and solving challenges related to local and/or regional shared interest/priority areas.
  • Sharing takeaways from project implementation at the local and/or regional level, including lessons learned, effective approaches, and high-impact activities.
  • Discussing opportunities for expanding and adapting local and/or regional projects.
  • Creating a shared repertoire of best practices/resources for planning and implementing projects related to shared interest/priority areas.
  • Developing local and/or regional strategies to move ideas, relationships and/or work forward.
• Participate in Ad Hoc Work Groups: As needed, the Partnership convenes ad hoc work groups related to our three priority areas. These ad hoc work groups often convene for a time-limited period to discuss specific projects and/or collaboratively develop one or more deliverable(s).
• Participate as a Family Voice Representative: If you are interested in getting involved in the Partnership through your perspective as a parent or caregiver, learn more here or fill out the interest form here.

County or Regional Department/Coalition

In addition to engaging in the ways listed above, counties or regions can participate in the Partnership by systematically engaging in shared learning and/or implementing approaches or projects related to any of the Partnership’s priority areas at the levels outlined below. Counties/regions may choose to engage in as many of the priority areas as they’d like and can engage in different priority areas at different levels. In alignment with our emphasis on cross-sector collaboration, for a county or region to participate as an implementation partner, there must be support from both local public health and human services directors.

• Participate: Staff at all levels of organizations start to increase understanding of child abuse prevention and collaboration opportunities.
  • Counties/regions participating in one or more of the Partnership priority areas at this level commit to increase their team’s understanding of Child Maltreatment Prevention strategies by participating in Partnership meetings, Communities of Practice, and/or Partnership learning opportunities as a learning opportunity with no commitment to local action or implementation.
  • Counties/regions participating at this level can expect the Partnership to convene shared meetings and learning spaces and offer tools and potential project ideas.
• Magnify: Shift your views to think about proactive partnership across community partners.
  • Counties/regions participating in one or more of the Partnership priority areas at this level commit to engaging in shared learning around best practices related to the priority area(s), exploring opportunities to implement Partnership endorsed tools and/or project ideas related to the priority area(s), and exploring opportunities to partner with local families.
  • Counties/regions participating at this level can expect the Partnership to convene shared meetings and learning spaces; offer tools and/or project ideas; offer coaching and/or mentorship from the Family & Caregiver Space around partnering with families and collaborate on project ideas; and offer support to help communities get to demonstration level if desired.
  • Have an idea for how your community would like to participate in the Partnership at the ‘Magnify’ level? Discuss participation with your local public health and human services directors, and then fill out this interest form.
• Demonstrate: Expect that you will start to see fewer families being served in child welfare.
  • Counties/regions participating in one or more of the Partnership priority areas at this level commit to meaningfully partnering with local families in order to implement a transformation project that builds family well-being with a racial equity lens in their community. Additionally, counties/regions commit to ensure projects are locally driven, staffed and funded as well locally evaluated.
  • Counties/regions participating at this level can expect the Partnership to convene shared Partnership meetings and learning spaces; offer tools and/or project ideas; support fundraising efforts for the project; spotlight local learning and progress; bring in additional technical support partners, as responsive to local needs, through the national Thriving Families, Safer Children initiative; and offer coaching and/or mentorship from the Family & Caregiver Space around partnering with families, collaborate on project ideas, and collaborate with local families.
  • Have an idea for how your community would like to participate in the Partnership at the ‘Demonstrate’ level? Discuss participation with your local public health and human services directors, and then fill out this interest form.
• Counties/regions participating at the ‘Magnify’ or ‘Demonstrate’ level are expected to participate in the relevant communities of practice and bi-monthly meetings of all Partnership members.
• I’m interested! What happens next?
  • To request a presentation or to learn more about the Partnership, reach out to tpeck@illuminatecolorado.org.
  • To express interest in participating at the ‘Magnify’ level, fill out this interest form, and a member of the Partnership Leadership Team will reach out to you to schedule a time to further discuss your county/region’s interest.
  • To express interest in participating at the ‘Demonstrate’ level, fill out this interest form, and a member of the Partnership Leadership Team will reach out to you to schedule a time to further discuss your county/region’s interest.