Post on 01-Apr-2015
Calibrating for Performance versus Compliance
Lessons from the Front Lines of Class Action Lawsuits
Judith Meltzer, Deputy Director, Center for the Study of Social Policy
Brenda Donald, Director, District of Columbia Child & Family Services Agency
Brady Birdsong, Chief Information Officer, District of Columbia Child & Family Services Agency
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LaShawn v. District of Columbia: History and Context
Basic data was unavailable or inaccurate Decree commitments were process driven Outcome standards could not be measured Data was not used for planning or
management No discussion or agreement on what was
good enough for compliance
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Data Development Over the YearsMonitor’s Perspective
Lawsuits require attention to and provide an incentive for data development
Requires both visionary leadership and IT solutions Early on audience for data was the Monitor and
plaintiff; shift to have internal users must be principal audience
Challenge to have definitions and measurements both useful to management and responsive to lawsuit
Numbers never tell the whole story3
Data Development Over the YearsAgency’s Perspective
Create a strategic framework not a compliance driven practice
Leadership must be committed to data Data requirements must be defined in early
stages of practice development Accountability and ownership starts at the
front lines
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Four Pillars Strategic Framework
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Four Pillars Strategic Framework
Front Door: Children have the opportunity to grow up with their families and are removed from their families only when necessary to keep them safe.
Temporary Safe Haven: Foster care is a temporary safe haven, with planning for permanence beginning the day a child enters care.
Well Being: Every child is entitled to a nurturing environment that supports healthy growth and development, good physical and mental health, and academic achievement.
Exit to Permanency: Every child and youth exits foster care as quickly as possible for a safe, well-supported family environment or life-long connection. Older youth have the skills for successful adulthood.
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Four Pillars Scorecard
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LaShawn Infographic
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LaShawn Infographic
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Integrated Worker DashboardBusiness Case
Puts data ownership in the hands of social workers and supervisors and assists in tracking tasks and activities
Data displayed in a concise, actionable and interactive format Integrated in FACES; eliminating need to toggle between two systems Data displayed in real-time Help users realize a “sense of achievement” or “reap the fruits of labor” Work seamlessly with the FACES infrastructure and technology platform
and not increase application maintenance costs Leverage existing resources Be extensible
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Integrated Worker DashboardDesign Process
Nine total design and consensus meetings Forty-one employees participated The groups were a highly iterative process – going
from initial concepts to a final design with near universal consensus
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What We Learned
Workers want simple, impactful displays that tell them important information with as few mouse clicks and other operations as
possible
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Litigation Lessons LearnedStarting, Implementing, and Exiting
Need accurate data picture of strengths and problems Emphasize data development and managing by data from the start Prepare staff to understand and use data Ensure capacity for data analysis Finalize outcome and performance measures after solid understanding of
performance Be open about the data Be consistent with existing data requirements Balance process and outcome measures Balance quantity with quality Build in process for renegotiations
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Contact Information
Judith Meltzer: Judith.Meltzer@CSSP.org
Brenda Donald: Brenda.Donald@DC.gov
Brady Birdsong: Brady.Birdsong@DC.gov
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