" It finally struck me last year," says one Administrator who has been involved in the Family Council from the beginning, "There is no there and we will never arrive. We have to keep building on strengths and talking with each other and families. We'll never arrive because this is a process which we need to do continually. If we think we have arrived and stop doing what we're trying to do, we run the risk of going back to a time when we didn't know each other and didn't trust each other. It's kind of hard to take as I think about retirement. The only legacy I can leave is one where people are polite with one another and keep talking."

A common question asked by visitors to Stark County is "How can we get to where you're at?" The answer is "You shouldn't want to." A challenging assumption about this approach is that you never know where you will end up when you embark on a system improvement activity. Over time, Stark County has realized that there is no final point in which all stakeholders can say we have arrived. An enduring infrastructure has to change and adapt to the needs of families and the local community. The trick is to develop the type of open structure which will encourage that change to occur. For systems and bureaucracies to be relevant in the next century, they will have to embrace the concept of change. Realizing that collaboration is something that everyone does as part of their daily activities results in the knowledge that a collaborative approach becomes part of the service and community culture.

In truth, Stark County is about building a management culture in which a few simple principles are used to create a climate in which change can thrive and system improvement can occur. Those management principles include:

1. If we all work together we have more to offer
2. Change is not only good it is what will allow us to survive
3. A set of guiding principles which are agreed to by everyone will create a template for a relevant system
4. Flexibility is already present within systems
5. You can create a forum for joining together if you are willing to spend the time to get to know one another
6. Connections with one another are critical to survival

There is still much to be done in Stark County. The Board of Trustees and staff are developing and expanding the refinancing package to assure that infrastructure already built can continue to exist. (Appendix EE) The community is getting very serious about changing the definitions of help across all systems. They are also moving to a sense of community help through an asset mapping strategy. The role and participation of community is expanding with citizens beginning to take part in Family Council meetings. The role of parent organization continues to be refined through participatory processes. The role of the business community within the Family Council is also expanding.

The point is that there is no final end point in this process. A cultural shift is underway within systems and within the community. Visitors to Stark County are struck with the realization that this is hard work and this is continuous work; there is no template or easy fix. Executives, Managers and Supervisors realize they need to increase the opportunity for system staff to connect with others if their individual systems are to be at all responsive to the complex needs of families within the community. The lessons identified in this document can be applied in any community. Since every community is different, the lessons learned will be different. You can't measure speed and position at the same time. In order to move ahead, you have to make a commitment to engage in a creative process which builds on trust. There are no shortcuts: you have to stay in for the long haul.