COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Human Services Agency

DATE:

May 30, 2003

BOARD MEETING DATE:

June 17, 2003

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Maureen D. Borland, Director, Human Services Agency

Mark Lane, Southern Region Director

SUBJECT:

Adolescent Collaborative Action Team Strategic Plan

Recommendation

Accept and approve the Adolescent Collaborative Action Team Strategic Plan (ACAT Plan).

Background

The Adolescent Collaborative Action Team (ACAT) was established from the long standing Children's Collaborative Action Team to provide information, strategic planning, and collaboration among adolescent service providers through-out the County. The Strategic Plan is a result of those efforts over the past twelve months.

Discussion

It is the mission of ACAT to work in partnership with the community to provide all adolescents in San Mateo County with support, services, and programs needed to achieve self-sufficiency and a positive transition to a healthy, responsible and productive adult life. The first step in the process defined ACAT's roles, values, and vision. The ACAT has had involvement from a broad base of youth serving agencies, parents, and youth. ACAT has involvement from over seventy agencies in San Mateo County.

The strategic plan was developed from an initial retreat of sixty participants, including fifteen youth. Meeting month, the ACAT additionally serves as the WIA Youth Council and fosters school-business partnerships modeled on the successful School to Career program. ACAT is also linked to the Peninsula Youth Development movement through the steering committees of each collaborative. ACAT serves as a means of service integration, funding collaboration, and can serve as an advisory capacity when requested. The underlying focus of all ACAT endeavors is that of access, opportunity, diversity and asset development. ACAT core values additionally include collaboration, valuing providers, excellence, prevention, and family strength.

The objectives are as follows:

1.

All adolescents will have a meaningful, caring adult in their lives

2.

All adolescents will have the educational foundation to achieve life-long career goals

3.

The business community will invest in youth to develop the next workforce generation

4.

All adolescents will live in a healthy environment

5.

All adolescents will have access to affordable housing

6.

All adolescents will live in safe families and communities

7.

The community will accept responsibility for the well-being of youth, creating supportive neighborhoods and communities to help them thrive and succeed

Vision Alignment

The collaborative keeps the commitment of responsive, effective and collaborative government and goal number 22: County and legal governments effectively communicate, collaborate and develop strategic approaches to issues affecting the entire county. The ACAT plan contributes to this commitment and goal by providing shared accountability, participation, and completion of the Strategic Plan.

The Strategic Plan creates achievable goals consistent with the shared vision, and develops workgroups responsible for the outcomes of the goals. The Strategic Plan was developed with Vision 2010 as a guiding document. Additional guiding documents include: San Mateo County The Adolescent Report 2001, Emerging Issues Forum 2002, and Children in Our Community: A Report on Their Health and Well-Being, 2002.

Fiscal Impact

There is no Net County Cost. This is a "value added" collaborative which supports joint planning, mutual support, and long-range planning.