RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF MODELS, GUIDES AND PLANS FOR HANDICAPPED POPULATIONS.

THIS PROPOSAL WILL IDENTIFY PRESENT COLLABORATIVE PRACTICES BY SURVEYING HEALTH/EDUCATION COMMITTEES OF THE FIFTY STATES' INTERAGENCY COMMITTEES. POLICY IMPLEMENTATION, TRAINING PROGRAMMING, INFANT AND FAMILY SERVICES, INTRACOMMITTEE MECHANICS, LEAD AGENCY SELECTION, AND OTHER INTERAGENCY FUNCTIONS ARE DETAILED. A DELPHI PROCEDURE WILL BE UTILIZED WITH IDENTIFIED EXEMPLARY COMMITTEES TO ELICIT THE FACTORS VIEWED AS CRITICAL TO COOPERATIVE FUNCTIONING. MEMBERS OF THESE COMMITTEES WILL BE ADMINISTERED THE SURVEY OF INTERAGENCY RELATIONS TO RANK THE FACTORS ESSENTIAL TO COLLABORATIVE INTERACTION AND PRODUCTIVITY. ONE PARADIGM TO ASSESS COOPERATIVENESS WILL FOCUS ON STRUCTURAL, COMMUNICATION, HUMAN INTERACTION AND TECHNICAL FACTORS. TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS, ON-SITE VISITS AND MAILED SURVEYS WILL GATHER DATA TO BE ANALYZED IN A MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS. SIGNIFICANT CORRELATIONS WILL TARGET FACTORS CRITICAL TO COOPERATION. THE STUDY ALSOPROFFERS SEVERAL MODELS OF INTERAGENCY AGREEMENTS FOR STATE AND LOCAL APPLICATION WITH A VIEW TO FOSTERING IMPROVED AND SUSTAINED DELIVERY OF SERVICES TO INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN PURSUANT TO FEDERAL INITIATIVES IN THEIR BEHALF.