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American Public Human Services Association
The following examples highlight the forward thinking of a few of
our members on the ways to help communities through innovative
approaches.
Texas’s population has grown and continues to grow rapidly, and the
increasing numbers of individuals and families has translated to greater
demand for service. Less predictable factors, such as unforeseen natural
disasters and changes in policy, have also placed a strain on resources.
In order to meet current demands and prepare for the future, the
Texas
Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC)
leadership team
focused its transformation strategies on the principle of creating more
capacity within existing resources, and redesigned its benefits eligibility
process for greater efficiency and effectiveness for both its staff and
clients. HHSC developed proactive strategies in five major areas:
workforce retention, process improvement, technology, communications,
and private–public partnerships. HHSC leadership credits all of these
strategies working together holistically as the basis for the positive
results the agency has been experiencing. The improvements born of
these strategies have allowed the state to serve more people without an
increase in staff resources. At the same time, there has been reduced
staff turnover and decreasing over time— all while the time to process an
application is decreasing and the accuracy of dispositions is improving.
Since 2012, the
Fairfax County Department of Family Services
(DFS)
in Virginia has been working to become a model social service
agency, with a guiding objective of improving its understanding and
ways of effectively responding to the needs of the community. The
agency began a concerted effort to meet this objective by developing
a four-year strategic plan that today serves as the foundation to guide
the agency’s ongoing transformation. In order to employ its strategy
as a “living document,” the agency has involved employees from all
departments and levels to participate in planning, provide input and
feedback throughout the process, and to join workgroups to develop
and implement action plans. Some examples of the initiatives that
have grown out of this effort include: launching a DFS Leadership
Academy; organizing employee recognition events; provide training to
all staff on how to use data in their jobs and as a decision-making tool;
implementing a new employee evaluation system; and creating learning
maps to better on-board and train staff. By taking a comprehensive
approach and connecting it to operations, budget, initiatives, practice,
and policy, DFS continues to move ahead.
INNOVATION IN ACTION