Organized around a series of interrelated topics which help organizations clarify their vision of a consumer-centric business model, these training workshops are customized to meet the individual needs of the client and help them learn strategies and practical skills for taking promising practices to scale.  

 

While improved coordination and integration of human services across multiple agencies will improve the outcomes for the individuals and families served, leaders face a variety of barriers in their quest for interoperability. These challenges include disparate funding streams, leadership and management tensions, different accountability measures, and the lack of information about the most effective models to guide the process of change. For agencies interested in how they can move towards InterOptimability, Stewards of Change provides extensive consulting on the planning and implementation of interoperable systems, from the implications of technology and strategic planning to the impact on leadership and the workforce.  

The ability to effectively incorporate quantitative methods into decision-making is a key responsibility of management and leadership. Increased compliance requirements and performance management expectations demand that leaders can quickly and accurately assess situations, evaluate options, make decisions and track and measure results. Quality data along with decision support tools reduce subjectivity and guess work and provide a foundation for building and replicating results-oriented programs.

Participants will learn about the best tools and approaches to collect, analyze and use data at every level and function within their organization. The workshop will also include applications adapted from Total Quality Management, including statistical-based process control, six sigma and Lean Process Re-engineering tools. In addition, participants will be introduced to leading edge software, emerging technologies and programs that can assist with information collection, analysis, interpretation and reporting. Additionally, participants will study the correlation of individual performance metrics to overarching organizational performance goals in performance management systems. Examples of performance-based contracting will be explored, including how to use incentives to help public and private agencies improve outcomes.  

This session explores strategies to help human service leaders create consistent, sustained, and measurable standards of practice. Beginning with a deep exploration of values-based leadership, participants will learn how organizational meaning and context can drive change in the workplace. Focus areas of the session will include building organizational capacity to evaluate and improve standards of practice through improving the process of recruiting, training, and retaining social workers; leveraging best practices from private industry and other human services to improve process outcomes (workload, bureaucracy, paper work, technology, etc.); and succession strategies. Leadership teams are encouraged to attend this session in order to discuss, assess, and develop their shared organizational visions.  

Today’s human service leaders must be able to help guide decisions concerning information technology for their organization. Too often, human services leaders do not have the necessary familiarity and/or technical background to integrate their clinical and operational expertise into IT projects. With technology investments consuming significant portions of the annual budget, it is imperative that directors, managers and developers are in alignment in their efforts to best plan and utilize technology to meet the needs of all constituencies.

The IT Literacy Workshop provides a forum to learn about fundamental IT concepts, current technologies, interoperable solutions, mobile technologies, analytical tools and other emerging trends. Ultimately, this knowledge will enable the organization to create a long-term technology vision that leverages legacy systems and creates a strategic, quantitatively-oriented business model that drives the effective use of technology.  

In a consumer-centric human services model, service silos disappear and shared information becomes key to improving services and outcomes. Families and individuals are no longer served by overlapping caseworkers for each service. In this workshop, human service leaders will learn how technology paired with a strong business model can be transformative. The workshop defines key IT strategies to bridge current legacy systems, address privacy issues, identify and track common clients in multiple systems, create new assessment tools and perform integrated services.  

This workshop focuses on building practical and theoretical knowledge about marketing and its current applications within the human services arena. Participants will learn about marketing fundamentals including strategic planning, market analysis, segmentation and targeting, branding, concept positioning, consumer research, targeted promotion, media and advertising.

A key focus of the workshop is the role of marketing research to establish an information baseline to assess current awareness and attitudes and measure the effectiveness of programs. Particular attention is also focused on the application of Supply Chain models and tools to measure and improve performance of recruitment and retention programs. Real-world case studies from prior recruitment and retention programs are used to reinforce technical learning. Additional focus will be given to marketing designed to attract and retain a quality workforce, position issues effectively to policy makers, and maximize marketing and communications investments.  

SOC is committed to translating the complexities of the constantly changing technology climate into practical options and strategies for its clients. Through hands-on experience, research and cutting-edge technology applications, Stewards of Change helps its diverse clients evaluate and implement transformative solutions–from strategic technology planning at the state, county or city level to weighing technological investments for frontline human services workers. In addition to strategic and operational consulting on child welfare technology, SOC also advises its clients on new ways to work collaboratively with other human services agencies to create and optimize interoperable systems that improve the efficiency of multiple systems as well as improve child and family outcomes.