Policy & Practice | Summer 2023

president’s memo By Tracy Wareing Evans

Aspirations for the Future of Human Services Part Three: Systems Alignment

L ast year, APHSA created a space for us as leaders in the human services sector to discuss not only our current approach to delivering services, but what objectives we should aspire to in order to better advance the social and economic mobility of the people and communities we serve. In the first column of this series, published in the December 2022 issue of Policy and Practice , I provided a broad overview of three themes that emerged from these interactive sessions: (1) community engagement, (2) systems alignment, and (3) the human services workforce. I took a deeper dive in my second article, published in the Spring 2023 issue, to expand on the changing paradigm for how leaders are approaching community engagement, and proactively investing in opportuni ties for co-discovery and co-design of the human services system with the people it serves. Now, we’ll tackle the second theme, the long-standing need for systems alignment , and the growing under standing of what the optimization of human-serving systems—from educa tion to health to human services to justice—means for communities. As highlighted in this column, human services leaders are striving to make those seemingly lofty ambitions into real-world advancements.

many systems that support health and well-being for people, we can better address the underlying factors that contribute to social inequities. This long-term strategic thinking can lead to more sustainable and impactful solutions that promote equity and racial justice. From a nuts-and-bolts perspective, it also becomes easier to track outcomes and measure the impact of services and programs when our systems are better aligned—from funding sources to eligibility require ments to service delivery mechanisms to feedback loops. Creating alignment across systems helps identify where the gaps exist and supports informed investment decisions. Achieving more efficient, effective, and equitable human services systems is the aim of every leader in the sector. Hitting those targets requires us to reach outside our siloed programming

and service-array and engage with other system leaders. While many of the barriers to system alignment are long-standing (e.g., fiscal limitations, regulatory requirements, procure ment rules), leaders are not waiting on changes to federal law and rules to make important advances. Nor are they deterred by the unproduc tive narrative that permeates so much of what people believe and misun derstand about the human services system. Leaders are investing in building relationships deep within and across the many sectors that impact all of our lives. Initiating Change Begins with Leadership The following are more ideas and insights gathered from leaders across the country.

Systems Alignment at its Core

Our deep commitment to advancing equity is furthered by systems align ment. By working to better align the

See President’s Memo on page 48

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Summer 2023 Policy & Practice