Welfare Watch - December 12, 2012 -
Technology supports efficient delivery of services
Pressure in recent years around budget
cuts and reductions in the workforce has created an environment in
which every minute counts in the delivery of services. Exchange of
information is vital to providing quality services. The ability to
exchange information through the internet has become an integral
part of everyday life and is rapidly transforming how people work.
The emergence of mobile technology using laptops, tablets, and
smart-phones has made accessing information easy and efficient.
The Florida Department of Children
and Families focus on driving down costs and increasing service
quality through aggressive implementation of new technology includes
business process mobilization. Improvements to the Florida foster
care system over the past ten years ensures that kids are seen every
30 days - these home visits are verified with cutting-edge
technology that was first piloted in 2007.
Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe, Inc., the nonprofit lead agency for
foster care and related services in Miami and the Florida Keys was
the first in the country to pilot a system which allowed for
immediate uploads of client data from the field into the system of
record - the date, time and GPS data of the visit were sent
automatically to the state’s federal database. Encrypted smart
phones equipped with customized software were deployed to the
workforce to track when children were due for home visits and
allowed for photos to be taken to verify the visits. Support of the
pilot resulted in appropriation of funds to allow the system to be
replicated statewide.
Florida took the lead in piloting
this use of cutting edge technology in the delivery of services -
other states have incorporated the use of technology in innovative
ways to support efficient delivery of services. This ability to
efficiently deliver services remains critical to systems in which
every minute counts.
_________________________________
An email newsletter of the
Georgia
Association of Homes
and Services for Children
as a public service.
Normer Adams, Editor
___________________________________*
GAHSC membership
training events
Corporate S
P O N S O R S
|
|