State Employment Leadership Network


MA-Institute for Community Inclusion/Boston Children's Hospital, UCEDD/LEND
Program Type UCEDD Fiscal Year 2020
Contact John Butterworth, PhD
Email [email protected]    
Phone 617-287-4357    
Project Description
The State Employment Leadership Network (SELN) brings state developmental disability agencies together to improve employment outcomes for individuals and families receiving services through that system. The slow rate of change within state systems has illustrated the need for new and different strategies and interventions.
Annually states are able to join this unique Network, forming communities of practice around specific topics of interest to the state's employment team(s) and the Network as a whole. A state strategic employment assessment facilitates information collection used to develop a state employment workplan. Network activities span the member states' interests and seek to provide resources to the DD service system at-large.
Participating states build their capacity to develop, implement, and support effective employment initiatives through:
-Online and in-person roundtable discussions, where members learn from each other's ideas and offer advice on challenges.
-Targeted technical assistance to support systems change goals.
-Access to data reporting and display systems that improve the capacity to gather information and track progress.
-Issue papers on key issues states face.
SELN promotes new connections within each state so I/DD agencies can take better advantage of other service systems, sharing costs and maximizing resources.