Shared Leadership Examples?

[HeatherT]

Many of you were at the conference in DC this past February, and saw Shared Leadership in action - the National Parent Leadership Team and the California State Parent Team took on many leadership roles, working with staff to make a great conference.

What are some other areas where we are using Shared Leadership? In our communities, our schools, our local agencies... I know there are a lot of them. What are some ways that you, as a parent, are working with staff to make your family/school/agency/community/world a better place?

[Leah D.]

As the Parent Consultant, I sit on the Comprehensive Multidimensional Family Resource Team ( CMFRT) commonly called comfort in our County. This is review committee of pubic health, behavioral health, juvenile probation and DCFS. the CMFRT is similar to the Wraparound as it is a reinvestment of the wraparound money where families receive a parent aid and youth service support counselor and as a team they come up with the plan to deal with and successfully navigate the crisis at hand and be prepared for the future.
As the referrals come through they are reviewed by the committee and submitted for services. This has a very interesting process because I listen to these family scenarios of crisis in need of intervention and I think of the problem solving skills that it took for my family to make it through (Crisis) and it looked nothing like what is being offered as support. We do the best we can with what we have. I wish everybody had a "Big Momma" she could tell em what to do and how to fix it. She knew how to get those kids into shape with out violence or threats or spanking or taking anything away as a consequence of misbehavior. She just knew how to deal with kids and get the best out of you.

[BusyMom]

Shared leadership takes many forms. For example, parnterships among NJ Family Success Centers, school-based programs and Parents Anonymous are common. Many times our parents are taking active roles not only in their homes, but in the communities in which they live as well. Reaching out to the churches also serves as a great place to meet people willing to practice shared leadership in its truest form.