APHSA Annual Report 2017

Ø Ø Our Local Council members convened multiple times throughout the year to advance the collective learning of counties through the lens of the Value Curve, and identify key policy, practice and organizational levers for accelerating the spread of that learning throughout the nation. San Diego County hosted the annual retreat of the Local Council members, which highlighted the concrete results of multiple local jurisdictions which have used the Value Curve for numerous years. Ø Ø In partnership with Harvard’s Leadership for a Networked World and Accenture, we convened the 8 th Annual APHSA Leadership Retreat and Harvard Health and Human Services Summit; this is where the Value Curve originated, and the national peer community that has developed around it is a driving force in its collective impact. Ø Ø In response to members’ requests for a tool to better understand how the Value Curve can be used, in partnership with the University of Minnesota, Hubert Project, APHSA contributed our expertise on how to incorporate the Value Curve into health and human services. The purpose of Hubert Project ( www.hubertproject.org ) is to connect public affairs educators through the creation and exchange of engaging teaching materials that enhance learning. Ø Ø With the generous support of the Kresge Foundation, we are working with multiple local agencies and their community partners to better understand the enablers and barriers to progression along the Value Curve. Ø Ø We are also happy to report that the Value Curve has taken hold globally, with several European countries, Canada and Australia incorporating its principles into their health and human services framework. This year we continued to develop practical guidance for the health and human services (H/HS) field and to provide as many opportunities as possible for our members and partners to learn from each other. As highlighted in the work of our three Collaborative Centers and our Organizational Effectiveness team, you will see how we are delivering on this commitment. You will also see how we are brokering new linkages at all levels of government across sectors such as education, housing and justice that encompass the broader human-serving system and address the social determinants of health and well-being. 2017 also marked an expansion of our efforts to promote strategic collaboration between dedicated H/HS professionals from the public and private sectors, as well as with philanthropy and academic institutions. Many of these partnerships are highlighted throughout the report. Of note is our collective impact work with the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities (the Alliance). In partnership with the Alliance, the 2017 APHSA National Health and Human Services Summit brought together, for the first time, leaders from both national networks to discuss ways to improve service delivery and outcomes. APHSA is also partnering with the Alliance, Oliver Wyman and SeaChange Capital Partners on a nationwide study – A National Imperative: Joining Forces to Strengthen Human Services in America – to assess the health of the social sector and community-based human services organizations, identify the internal and external forces creating challenges across the sector and drive cross-sector solutions and recommendations that will ensure the sector’s strength and vitality into the future. Funded by the Balmer Group and Kresge Foundation, this report will be released later this year. We also celebrated the 50th anniversaries of our information technology (ISM) and attorney (AAHHSA) conferences. It is fitting that these two affinity groups share the same anniversary, as both touch nearly every aspect of H/HS and are integral in the advancement of the human services field. We are fortunate to work with such dedicated leaders around the country. Thank you again for your service to the nation and commitment to creating a modern, responsive health and human services system. We look forward to continuing this journey with you in 2018 and beyond. Best regards,

Tracy Wareing Evans President and CEO American Public Human Services Association