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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