Interagency Collaboration Under Part H

This article examines the role of interagency collaboration as it pertains to the unique requirements of PL 99-457—Part H (early intervention services for handicapped infants/toddlers and their families). Questions discussed here include (a) What is unique about the application of the interagency concept within Part H compared to collaborative efforts that have preceded it? (b) What requirements under PL 99-457 and its minimum components for a “statewide system” underscore collaborative issues and create situations where interagency cooperation is imperative if a truly coordinated, comprehensive service system is to be built? (c) What are some critical points or junctures where decisions by state and local planners will either build the foundation for interagency teamwork or detract from it? (d) What complex dynamics or realities affect cooperative work among agencies and suggest strategies to facilitate more comfortable, productive liaisons? (e) What interagency issues lie ahead in the 1990s as states work toward full services for infants, toddlers, and their families? Conclusions give several predictions for the 1990s.