Florida's Department of Education is establishing the Shared Services Network, an initiative of building collaborative infrastructures within counties to link schools to the greater community.   This initiative, facilitated through the University of South Florida, includes:

• A forum of decision makers (top level administrators of public and private agencies/organizations who make policy and assign resources)
• A forum of middle managers (those persons responsible for implementing policy and programs)
• Operational strategies that assure that policies, administration, resource development and service delivery provide an impact for children with disabilities and their families, encouraging and supporting service integration (both at the prevention and intervention levels)
• An overall strategy for issue identification (through asset mapping and community involvement), decision making, and problem solving.
• A commitment to an overall objective, through the infrastructure, of linking and interlinking the school system's agenda to the community's agenda.

This Shared Service Network way of work provides a consistent method for the community to communicate issues and solutions to decision makers and front line service providers.  The outcomes include:

• increased efficiency of agency and government operations by maximizing community resources and minimizing service duplication
• reduced policy and practice barriers to effective communication and program delivery
• a commitment to the belief that the issues and needs for children are not isolated to one agency or institution, but involve home, school and the community.

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