Training Toolkit

This toolkit helps you determine the best curriculum to use to train your county’s staff for Linkages.

Why Train

Linkages is a new way of doing business that hinges on collaboration. Training is an essential vehicle to ensure leaders, staff and partners are on the same page about the value, benefits and practices of Linkages.

This toolkit contains the available training curricula that all counties can use to support their unique Linkages programs. Feel free to download and adapt any curricula linked to this toolkit; contact your local Regional Training Academy about any of these trainings and to access curricula described but not linked to these pages.

Consider the developmental stage of your Linkages implementation. Besides the introduction to Linkages that all staff will need when Linkages begins, there will be a need for specialized and advanced learning for subsets of staff and collaborative partners. Staff can also benefit from refresher training sessions as Linkages evolves over time. At every stage, consider who needs to be trained, on what they need training, at what point they should receive the training and with what materials.

The first step in effective service collaboration is creating common understanding between the staff members who will be working together. This includes learning the basics about your partner’s program, followed by foundational training that reinforces the principles of Linkages.

Determine Your Training Needs

Consider the developmental stage of your Linkages implementation. Besides the introduction to Linkages that all staff will need when Linkages begins, there will be a need for specialized and advanced learning for subsets of staff and collaborative partners. Staff can also benefit from refresher training sessions as Linkages evolves over time. At every stage, consider who needs to be trained, on what they need training, at what point they should receive the training and with what materials.

Customize Your Program

Linkages is not a one-size-fits all program; each county determines the nature of Linkages service coordination that best meets their needs. The Program Design Road Map provides a step-by-step guide for creating or modifying your Linkages program. Your Implementation Team works together to choose the target population to be served, design the type of service coordination strategies needed and develop the policy and practice protocols for staff to follow.