Back to the Basics: Proven Approach to Identify, Tackle and Overcome Backlog

To effectively prepare for, navigate, and manage redetermination and associated program backlogs that will undoubtedly develop in the coming weeks and months as agencies unwind PHE, here are five critical steps agencies can take.

How Will Your Child Welfare System Stack Up Against the Laws of Gravity

Our child welfare systems can feel like we are in a game of Jenga. We are attempting to grow and expand our systems by moving pieces one by one - while stretching our limited capacity. But with each move, the entire system risks collapse, particularly with worker shortages.

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Changing Our Relationship with Data: Solving Our Capacity Crisis by Making Data Work for Us, Not the Other Way Around

The only way out of the capacity crisis is to serve our customers completely and immediately. And data can now help us do this, when used correctly and applied at the most opportune time.

Emerging Stronger When the Public Health Emergency Ends: How Agencies Can Make Room for the Upcoming Wave of Renewals and New Customers

When the public health emergency (PHE) and pandemic waivers come to an end, agencies must renew all existing Medicaid recipients. For many agencies already struggling with staff capacity to meet existing demand, they will no doubt be overwhelmed. To help agencies prepare for and tackle the wave of renewal workload, we offer specific steps that agencies can take to meet this increased demand.

A New Promise for CCWIS: Provide Capacity to Do More Good

The new promise of CCWIS is to build systems that support and coach and help caseworkers move the work.

Reducing the Self-Created Workload: Making Room for a Wave of New Customers

Human Service Agencies across the country are grappling with a new wave of customers seeking support—many for the first time—due to the COVID-19 health crisis and subsequent economic downturn.

If Not Humans, Then What’s At the Center?

188 million results. This is the number of hits you get when you Google “Human-Centered Design.” While obviously very popular, I have to wonder, “just how did we get so far off course that we need to be reminded to keep the humans who use our technology at the core of our design?”

What Public Managers Can Learn from the Ventilator Shortage

Every work system has its point of constraint, and that's the place to focus on to increase the organization's capacity. You're only as good as your weakest link.

Eliminate Blind Spots to Improve Safety: More Eyes More Often

When the press writes about failures in the child welfare system, the tragedies are unique, but the pattern is often all too familiar. A family has been involved with the agency multiple times, signs of risk were missed, and the result is significant harm or even death. It’s hard to read about a set of [...]

The Fen-Phen Phenomenon is Killing Our Children

We all agree child welfare in our world is not as healthy as we would like it to be. No one wants to see vulnerable children at risk, but it seems like every attempt to get healthier isn’t working, and we are all clinging to the hope that the next thing we try will be the real deal.

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