Policy & Practice August 2018

The ideal solution must be capable of supporting CCWIS requirements, featuring a flexible, lightweight, intuitive and user-centric interface, plus the ability to perform a bi-directional data exchange.

Increasing the Potential for Positive Case Outcomes Modernizing to the new Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS), or building new systems to meet CCWIS requirements, opens the door for child welfare organizations to better collect, view, share, and understand informa- tion, not just record it. Agencies can leverage next-generation technologies designed for engagement, efficiency, and service delivery that align with their unique program requirements and support their core practice model. A system of engagement works together with an agency’s existing system—or as a module in a new system—to enhance how workers manage information and interact with children and families, both in the field and at the office. The ideal solution must be capable of supporting CCWIS requirements, featuring a flexible, lightweight, intui- tive and user-centric interface, plus the ability to perform a bi-directional data exchange. It should also help social workers take full advantage of their data and content, regardless of their location or level of connectivity, empowering them with knowledge that can be applied when making critical decisions about safety. This way, CCWIS becomes much more than just a set of regulations (see System of Engagement on page 19). Let’s dive deeper into five reasons to consider a system of engagement as part of a state’s CCWIS modernization. n Promote data quality. A system of engagement performs a bi-direc- tional data exchange with other systems and can serve as an anytime mobile data collection tool. This

information, or insufficient evidence that can result in a failed audit and cause financial ramifications. A system of engagement facilitates an agency’s ability to present specific evidence and matching documen- tation to support compliance on federal IV-E and CFSR reporting requirements and mandates. It can also collect—on the same interface— specific data elements that support individual states’ child welfare laws, regulations, policies, practices, and reporting requirements. n Reduce turnover. Turnover trends continue to increase, and agencies pay the price. The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute estimates the cost for each worker leaving an agency to be $54,000 (see http:// ncwwi.org/files/Why_the_Workforce_ Matters.pdf ). The problemworsens when you consider how turnover neg- atively affects children and families: when continuity of care is disrupted, families struggle to make progress and can be kept in the system longer than necessary. Of course, this places additional financial burden on the agency by increasing the cost of out-of-home care. The right tools—including a system of engage- ment—can help break this endless cycle. Burnout, stress, and other pressures that contribute to turnover can be minimized by providing easy access to information so social workers can focus on serving children and families, not data entry.

reduces duplicate entry and elimi- nates the potential for human error, while allowing all public and private agency workers a line of sight into the past and present. For example, case, client, and service provider data provided by CCWIS are auto- matically filled into electronic forms. Similarly, data that social workers capture in the field can be automati- cally synced back to other modules within CCWIS. n Increase productivity. Inefficient, uneconomical, and ineffective tools and processes limit social workers’ ability to build trust with vulnerable children and families. Since a system of engagement is user-centric and designed for daily work, it allows social workers to repurpose up to two hours per day by minimizing time spent on administrative func- tions to maximize time spent doing high-value work with families to reduce trauma. n Improve program outcomes. A system of engagement enables social workers to spend as much time as possible meeting with families, visiting children in care and youth under supervision, attending court hearings, and more—all while having access to detailed knowledge about the case to support major deci- sions. This leads to safer children and stronger communities. When a system of engagement includes case discovery, it also provides real-time data about significant case topics and their prevalence across an agency or state, which helps organizations get an even better understanding of the challenges confronting the commu- nities they serve. n Demonstrate compliance. Manual data collection processes increase the potential for errors, such as incomplete documents, conflicting

Rupam Chokshi is the Director of Product Marketing at Northwoods.

Case Discovery: An Emerging Solution

A system of engagement that includes a dedicated case discovery module can further improve outcomes. While case discovery is not a CCWIS requirement, it’s one of the most impactful tools in a social worker’s arsenal.

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Policy&Practice August 2018