Fostering an Unnatural Act: Does Policy Make a Difference in Collaboration in Systems of Care?

regarding children’s systems of care. However, little attention has been paid to the relationship between the types of policy instruments that states use and their impact on collaboration at state and community levels. This article summarizes the findings from a study on the impact of policy on collaboration. The strongest study finding is that policies that foster collaboration include accountability procedures such as cross-agency collection and use of practical data. Other important predictor variables include the attitudes and behaviors of policymakers and the types of interorganizational structures that states implement. Effective promotion of collaboration requires both a strategic use of policy instruments and an ongoing assessment of policymaker practices related to collaboration at state and local levels. Policies that promote collaboration strike a balance between promoting a broad policy framework, providing local autonomy in how the vision is implemented, and maintaining a reasonable level of statewide accountability.