Policy & Practice February 2015

director‘s memo By Tracy Wareing

Presenting Innovative and Evidence-Informed Strategies that Respond to APHSA Members’ Priorities

A s we embark on another year and welcome new members to APHSA, I thought it might be helpful to highlight some of the tools and products we have developed with and through our members and partners. Guided by our Pathways framework, we have a broad array of resources and technical assistance to help our members improve in the priority areas they have identified through innovative and evidence-informed strategies to front-line practices and services, and to the organizational capacity they need to deliver them effectively. Pathways: Our Collective Destination Our Pathways framework was developed with our state, local, and affiliate leaders, and defines the desired future state for the health and human service field. Clarity about the impact and underlying strategies we seek to achieve guides the ongoing resource-building and technical support work we do with our members. Pathways is framed by the following dimensions (see http://www.aphsa.org/content/ APHSA/en/pathways.html): Š Š Four priority outcomes: Gainful employment and independence; stronger individuals, families, and commu- nities; healthier individuals, families, and communities; and the sustained well-being of our youth. Š Š Five practice strategies: Prevention, Early Intervention, Bridge Support, Capacity-Building and Sustainability— arranged in a general sequence of intervention aimed at getting the right service at the right time for the right duration, ultimately reducing reliance on government services. Š Š An array of foundational supports for these practice strategies, including: >> Flexible financing —that allows federal support to go where it is most effective, taps resources from other sectors, and moves beyond outdated cost-allocation restrictions; >> A new accountability paradigm —focused on meaningful outcomes, continuous improvement, monitoring for results, cross-government coopera- tion, and full use of modern data-analysis tools; >> A modern technological platform —that supports integrated, enterprise solutions across programs, departments, and levels of government;

>> A prepared workforce —that is deployed strategically, has the tools and technologies it needs, and partners effectively with the larger stakeholder community; >> Empowered clients through effective engagement —that employs equitable and appropriate responses to each person’s and family’s situation, evidence-informed strategies, and the knowledge that engaged communi- ties and families can foster positive and lasting change. Š Š A set of general markers describing the desired future state (see my article on p. 12 for a full description). APHSA’s PrimaryTechnical Service Platforms: Helping Members Achieve the Pathways Desired State The National Workgroup on Integration (NWI) (http://www.aphsa.org/content/APHSA/en/pathways/NWI. html) NWI resources and technical support are used by member agencies to guide their systems through transformative stages of change and progress. Developed since 2010 with input from leading practitioners, universities, and industry partners, the primary NWI frameworks include the Health and Human Services Value Curve and Stages, the Health and Human Services Business Model and Maturity Matrix Factors, and a range of guidance and tools targeted at evolving the business model factors and addressing common barriers to progress. NWI resources and services are most often used by high-readiness health and human service systems, including cross-program, cross-jurisdiction, and public-private partnership initiatives. The Organizational Effectiveness (OE) Handbook and Consulting Service (http://www.aphsa.org/content/APHSA/en/resources/ OE.html) The APHSA OE practice supports any continuous improve- ment, innovation, or transformation effort, by strengthening the underlying drivers of organizational readiness, capacity, and performance upon which innovative or transformative strategies are built and sustained. OE has been developed with and through our members since 2004, resulting in a very positive external evaluation that demonstrates a

See Director’s Memo on page 39

Photograph via Shutterstock

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February 2015 Policy&Practice