Policy & Practice | Summer 2026

by having to repeat the same informa tion to each siloed program. Systems should absorb complexity instead of people in crisis.

and maintain stability, while the chil dren’s behavioral and emotional needs become more visible across school and community settings. Care and protection for this family through a CHSO lens are approached, not as a single programmatic function, but as a shared responsibility across the social ecosystem. The CHSO coordinator walks with the family through recovery. Early engagements prioritize stabilization, continuity, and trust, creating the conditions for meaningful coordination rather than fragmented response. This framing avoids a common failure mode: narrowing attention too quickly to delivery of a single benefit or interven tion when the underlying situation is broader and more complex. NO WRONG DOOR: ACCESS ORGANIZED AROUND PEOPLE As engagement begins, the long standing principle of “No Wrong Door” becomes central. Participants must be able to seek help through any appropriate channel (government agencies, providers, or community organizations) without being expected to understand how systems are struc tured behind the scenes. For this family, the initial request for help may emerge in different ways. A teacher may notice changes in a child’s behavior, the deceased spouse’s employer may refer his widow to resources to address loss of health coverage, or the parent may reach out directly for assistance to community or government channels. Each of these entry points reflects a different expres sion of the same underlying situation. No Wrong Door is not met solely through a front-end technology or a single intake portal. It is an operating commitment across orga nizations that ensures access leads to understanding and action, not redi rection. Regardless of how or where someone enters, the system responds in a shared and coherent way. This approach acknowledges a basic truth: individuals should not have to under stand available social programs in order to receive help, and they should not be re-traumatized over and over

where the person or family is situated and what factors are shaping their conditions. It avoids re-traumatization of the participants, because this under standing is shared across programs and agency/community actors. They do not have to repeat the story of their ordeal at every touchpoint. Importantly, this perspective also reframes the goal. Alongside social and economic need, it recognizes social and economic potential. Many indi viduals and families can move toward stability and self-sufficiency with the right mix of guidance, connection, and support. A context-first orientation allows systems to support that trajec tory rather than locking people into static program pathways. CARE AND PROTECTION AS THE INITIAL RESPONSIBILITY From this foundation, participants encounter health and human services through moments where care and pro tection are required, often when the need is greatest. These moments may involve immediate safety concerns, health crises, or economic disruption. Typically, they span multiple domains at once. In our family example, the death of the father results in economic disrup tion for the family; immediate health needs due to the loss of the family health care plan through the father’s employment; new behavioral health issues and declining education perfor mance for the grieving children; and depression and overwhelming mental health issues for the grieving spouse. In the months that follow, these pres sures intensify. The surviving parent must balance caregiving responsibili ties with the need to secure income

INTEGRATED INTAKE, ASSESSMENT, AND THE PARTICIPANT AS THE ORGANIZING UNIT As information moves from screening-for-need and initial

engagement into formal intake and assessment, the individual or family becomes the organizing unit of the work with the CHSO coordinator shep herding them across time, services, and organizational boundaries. This requires integrated capabili ties that maintain continuity and accountability: n Participant information that reflects household composition, relation ships, and location n Evidence captured with effective dates, recognizing that circum stances change n Eligibility and entitlement deter minations anchored in policy and regulation n Assessment of available resources that best meet participant needs where they are n Alignment between decisions and the resources they authorize n Service deliveries and community referrals that are tracked for success and impact Assessment informs not just whether someone is eligible, but how support should be coordinated. This shared understanding enables workers, pro viders, and partners to act from a common picture of the situation. COORDINATED DELIVERY ACROSS THE ECOSYSTEM Coordination shifts into benefit and service delivery across domains of need. Supports may include financial assistance, employment services, child care, health care, mental and behav ioral health, education and training, or other interventions delivered by government agencies, contracted pro viders, or community organizations.

Mary Alice Hunt is the Director of Technical Pre-Sales, Cúram.

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