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April 2016
Policy&Practice
3
director‘s
memo
By Tracy Wareing Evans
I
n this issue of
Policy & Practice
we
focus on the heart of our collective
mission—the individuals, children,
and families who embody the health
and human system our members and
their extended networks support every
day. At the American Public Human
Services Association (APHSA), we
continuously strive to deliver services
and products that build the capacity
of the system in ways that improve
the lives of all people and strengthen
their communities. As part of ongoing
efforts to align those services and
products with the opportunities and
needs of members, we have expressly
articulated our theory of change and
reframed our work using proven values
and metaphors as follows:
Theory of Change
Our work at APHSA is guided by this
theory of change
: We aim to continu-
ally increase the
know-how
of our
members, staff, and partners to build
It’s a Matter of Design:
Our Theory of Change
Illustration via Shutterstock
system capacity and maximize human
potential, so that we may:
Create innovative
strategies and
tools
and
effective policies
for
health and human service practice,
programs, and organizational
functioning;
Positively impact the
social deter-
minants
of success in people’s lives
and mitigate trauma; and
Generate a
culture of social health
and well-being
in the United States.
Expressed as a
metaphor
, we aim
to build human potential with the best
construction and weather-proofing
tools possible for people to thrive in
a
well-planned, resilient
home and
community.
Mission Focus for
Building Know-How
Guided by this desired future state,
our current
mission focus
for building
know-how centers on:
Neuroscience and other advances in
understanding what strengthens and
motivates people;
Adaptive leadership;
Multi-generational engagement and
service principles; and
Expanding our knowledge base
through knowledge management,
data, analytics, and return on invest-
ment (ROI) modeling.
Along with our current know-how
in organizational effectiveness and
many other areas, this enables us to
stage and support demonstrations
of innovation and impact
through the
Human Services Value Curve
1
progres-
sion toward:
Optimal systems of care;
Practice models;
Policy and program designs; and
Embedding space and support for
ongoing innovation and continuous
See Director’s Memo on page 32