Abstract
Purpose. The purposes of this study were to examine the complexity of family needs; to determine the factors that contributed to the sustainability or discontinuation of the services to children and families provided by the collaborative partners, and to investigate the capacity building toward sustaining the collaborative services. Methodology. This study was a descriptive research. A survey was conducted by questionnaire of thirty-one Healthy Start coordinators in Los Angeles County of California. Data were collected to describe the characteristics relative to the sustainability or discontinuation of the integrated services provided by the collaborative partners. (1) Quantitative data were collected using a Likert scale of 1 to 6. Frequency distribution, mean score, and standard deviation were conducted to determine the distribution frequencies and central tendency of the rating. (2) Qualitative data generated from the participants' written comments were used to substantiate the quantitative data. Findings. This study found that the higher priorities among the six types of integrated services provided by the collaborative partners during and beyond the funding period were the medical healthy services and the mental health/counseling services. The greater strengths that contributed to the success of sustaining the integrated services were the collaborative partners' dedication, commitment, coordination, communication, problem solving, and support for each other. The lesser strengths were the manageable paperwork, sufficient funding sources, and adequate staffing. The mid-range strengths were the participants' involvement in policymaking and authority to represent their organizations to make decisions. Conclusions. It was evident that the collaborative partners supported the education of the children by serving the needs of the "whole child" and the children's environment. Insufficient funding sources and inadequate staffing were challenging factors that may lead to the discontinuation of the collaborative services. Ongoing training for staff was important to build the capacity of shared leadership in the collaborative services. Recommendations. (1) A case study to obtain in-depth data from collaborative services; (2) further studies of collaborative services in other counties in California, or other states; and (3) further studies among collaborative partners without state funding, or different funding patterns.