P&P August 2016

association news

By Neil Bomberg

Moving Up the Value Curve Through the National Summit

I n an attempt to be more integra- tive, generative, user friendly, and outcome oriented, what had been previously known as the APHSA Policy Forum was transformed, this year, into the National Summit for Health and Human Services, held May 21–25 in Arlington, VA, just minutes from downtown Washington, DC. With more than 350 attendees and a range of general sessions, TED- style talks, and breakout sessions, the conference covered a wide range of subjects following APHSA’s Pathways agenda. The theme— “Inspire, Innovate, Impact”—focused conversations on ways to work differ- ently, better, and with more impact. Together, varied perspectives allowed conference attendees to better under- stand the Human Services Value Curve and how they and their organizations can move up that curve from a regula- tive to a generative state. With its focus on health and human service integration, child and family well-being, and employment and economic well-being, the summit provided all attendees with an oppor- tunity to learn, explore, and consider new and multiple ways of addressing client needs. The summit opened with an enlightening keynote address by Nat Kendall-Taylor of the Frameworks Institute. He spoke about the potential that framing has on the way others think about our programs and the work we do. For example, it is not enough to show empathy or compassion for the clients we serve. That approach, Kendall-Taylor argued, only mires you in a swamp of prejudiced and value-laden views. It is critical, in his view, that we frame these efforts in the larger social and cultural milieu in which we operate. Thus, talking about solving individual

Susan Dreyfus, left, President and CEO of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, receives the 2016 APHSA Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the field of health and human services.

and family problems in the context of opportunity and success helps people better identify with the people we serve; talking about the services we provide in construction terms helps people under- stand that our aim is to ensure that everyone is safe, protected, and able to withstand the storms of life that all of us may experience. Over the course of the summit, attendees heard from other keynote speakers about the history of U.S. human services and the importance of using brain science to better ensure that human service employees have the supports and protections they need to do their jobs successfully. Dr. Antonio Oftelie of Harvard University spoke about the long and storied history that undergirds the nation’s human service system, and that even during the most trying of times human service programs continued and moved forward, focusing on their purpose— the individuals and households the system was designed to serve. Dr. Beth Cohen of the University of California explained how the brain works at times of conflict, stress, and harmony. Therefore, it is critical that human service staff have the ability to maintain a sense of harmony, and that

employers provide employees with the tools and resources to work in a har- monious environment that promotes health and well-being and is supportive. TED-style speakers provided real-life examples of the ways in which state and local programs are moving up the Human Services Value Curve, by inte- grating state-level health and human services, dealing with employment and economic well-being, and addressing the needs of children from households with significant problems. Breakout session topics ranged from program integration, child and family well-being, the world of work and its impact on clients, the social determi- nants of health, ways in which food and nutrition programs can better incorporate job training and placement activities into their programs, 2Gen approaches to handling family issues, better coordination between workforce development and TANF programs, proven strategies for recruiting and sup- porting foster and adoptive families, data analytics as a tool to move up the Human Services Value Curve, and Pay for Success, to name just a few.

Neil Bomberg is the director of Policy and Government Affairs at APHSA.

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