Collaborative Task Force Approach
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The voice of many is greater than the voice of one. Forming a collaborative coalition or task force can be a powerful way to create needed change. It can be a loose network or a formalized, structured coalition. But whatever its nature, collaboratives that promote senior safe mobility should share these basic characteristics:
They should be inclusive and involve private and public sector stakeholders.
They should unite their mission, vision, and goals.
They should work toward outcomes (dont just have meetings; people want to work toward something).
Collaboratives can be effective in changing social norms and organizational policies. They require strong leadership and champions who can move issues forward.
It is helpful for your collaborative to have a strategic or action plan to help guide and focus its efforts. The Older Californian Traffic Safety Task Force used a strategic framework, "Traffic Safety Among Older Adults: Recommendations for California [PDF 142KB]," to determine its goals and implement promising practices. The city of Melbourne, Australia, created an excellent model for an Injury Prevention Action Plan that includes preventing traffic-related injuries to older adults. (http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=183&pg=1297)
Success Stories
Additional Resources
- A member of the Injury Prevention Web family of sites. Copyright ©2005. Funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.
