In addition, the success of an information-sharing program can depend on the completion of several other functional requirements: identifying appropriate partners, establishing program goals, focusing on intervention and prevention, developing a common framework, knowing the law, communicating frequently, providing technical assistance, and developing a computerized information-sharing system.

Identify Appropriate Partners

It is of primary importance that the right "players" from agencies serving specific juvenile populations are brought to the table to facilitate collaborative cross-system planning and delivery (Isaacs, 1992; Melaville and Blank, 1991). To identify appropriate partners, it might be useful for multidisciplinary teams to conduct a community self-assessment to learn more about the nature of juvenile problems in the community and to build a commitment to change. The assessment can help identify community and interagency partners outside the juvenile justice system and locate untapped community resources.

Establish Program Goals

Once agency partners have been identified, an interagency task force should be established to create the framework within which the program will operate and to set forth the goals of the information-sharing partnership. The task force must be composed of agency representatives with the power to make decisions. The goals must be clearly laid out and shared by all the agencies participating in the information-sharing program (Wagner et al., 1997). The goals will determine the level of information to be shared (i.e., case-level, department/agency-level, community-level) and the individuals within each agency who should have access to the information. Medaris, Campbell, and James (1997) suggest that these goals focus on delinquency prevention and intervention, community safety, efficiency, and coordination. The goals of the partnership also may include the following:

• Providing appropriate programs and services to intervene with juveniles currently involved in the juvenile justice system.

• Providing appropriate programs and services to deter at-risk juveniles from delinquent behavior.

• Increasing the safety and security of the community and its children by reducing juvenile crime.

• Eliminating duplication of services.

• Leveraging resources and training programs through coordination.

• Improving case- and management-level decisionmaking.

Focus on Intervention and Prevention

In order to establish an interagency information-sharing partnership that provides information geared toward both intervention and prevention, the system must help service providers to be both proactive and reactive. James (1994) defines a reactive program as one in which the partners wait until incidents of criminal activity occur, identify the violators, and then mete out appropriate sanctions. He defines a proactive program as one in which the partners scan the horizon for signs of trouble and devise plans to respond to symptoms that arise prior to the outbreak of undesired behavior. A partnership is reactive if the partners provide each other with information about juveniles who have already committed serious violent or criminal acts and proactive if they also share information identifying at-risk juveniles.

Develop a Common Framework

Other imperatives for a successful information-sharing plan are developing a common definition of youth who are "at risk" and identifying the juvenile population(s) that will be the focus of the information-sharing partnership. It is important that participating agencies share the same criteria for defining youth at risk of delinquency, delinquent youth who are at risk of becoming serious habitual juvenile offenders, and youth already considered serious habitual juvenile offenders (Bellmio, 1995). A common framework can improve communication between participating agencies. Thus, after defining the juvenile population(s) to be served, the task force should determine the specific information that will be shared and develop interagency agreements for sharing that information (Soler, Shotton, and Bell, 1993). The partnership should also consider mechanisms to protect the interests of clients, including notifying them of the scope and purposes of the information system, determining the information that will be provided by agency workers, and deciding on the form of any written releases (Soler, Shotton, and Bell, 1993).

Know the Law and Communicate Frequently

Melaville and Blank (1991) list two other factors necessary for the successful development and implementation of an interagency information-sharing program:

• Having law(s) in place that will allow interagency information sharing to take place.

• Knowing the laws and the way they provide for interagency information sharing.

Wasik, Lam, and Kane (1994) add to these factors the need for partners in an interagency information-sharing network to communicate frequently and share information in a timely manner. Mechanisms for sharing information vary from information requests and responses via telephone or written reports to online access to a set of core data from a multiagency information database. Failure to share information in a timely manner can undermine the effectiveness of a coordinated effort.

Provide Technical Assistance

Further, for an interagency partnership to be developed successfully, the participants will need technical assistance for general project development and implementation. They will need access to a common information base and implementation resources. Technical assistance, including information on materials and procedures, should be provided through staff training. As part of its mandate, the task force should develop staff training policies and procedures (Soler, Shotton, and Bell, 1993). Similarly, technical assistance in developing and implementing supervisory procedures is also helpful. Finally, technical assistance may be necessary for developing and implementing sound procedures for evaluating the information-sharing system. Project evaluation should determine if or how well the system is accomplishing the goals outlined by the partners and identify specific changes that might be necessary to ensure the program meets its goals.

Develop a Computerized Information-Sharing System

When considering whether to develop a computerized central information-sharing system, a number of preliminary issues should be explored. For example, how quickly would the partners like to begin sharing information. The development of a computerized central information-sharing system may be expensive and can be extremely time consuming. It may take months or years to develop the appropriate software to link different partners to the system. Inputting information into the system may also be time consuming and may require a great deal of coordination between members. On the other hand, despite these potential difficulties, there are also good reasons for implementing a central computerized information-sharing system. These include both the ease of access to information and the consistency of the information available to all partners at the same time.

Other issues need to be considered prior to developing a computerized and central information-sharing system (Etten and Petrone, 1994; Soler, Shotton, and Bell, 1993), including:

• Overall policies and procedures covering the purposes of the information system.

• The importance of limiting information.

• Methods of interagency cooperation and information sharing.

• Notices to clients and other protections of clients' interests.

• System security measures.

• The type of data contained in the computerized files.

• The individuals and agencies authorized to receive data.

• The purposes for which data will be used.

• The relationship between the system and the clients/juveniles whose records are in the data bank.

• Confidentiality protections.

Similarly, system developers should address how information will be recorded and entered and what will happen when inaccurate information is entered into the system (Etten and Petrone, 1994). Etten and Petrone also strongly suggest that any computerized system have an electronic security system that allows access only by authorized personnel. As part of its mandate, the task force should develop these policies and procedures, which should be approved by all agencies involved in the partnership (Soler, Shotton, and Bell, 1993).