Mandated human services restructuring: a case study in local collaboration from Colorado

The Colorado State Legislature has undertaken an historic restructuring of human services ranging from child welfare, mental health, and nursing services to substance abuse prevention, institutionalization, and health care financing. Significant steps in this process include an overhaul of child welfare legislation, major revisions to legislation affecting group health insurance policies, and a restructuring of the state departments that provide human services. A Democratic Governor and a Republican-dominated legislature have worked together hand-in-hand, although not always harmoniously, in moving these changes forward. This article examines the statewide restructuring of human services in a case study of how the local planning process was carried out in one region of Colorado. A highlight of the case study is the Working Together survey administered to participants of the planning committee midway through the process and again after the Local Area Plan was developed. In addition, lessons are presented from the process instructive for others considering whether to undertake significant organizational restructuring. The lesson section focuses on the local area planning process and how Colorado may have designed and facilitated a more effective process.