Social workers saving 2-3 hours per day on paperwork

DUBLIN, OH—November 24, 2014—A mobile application for social workers is helping Dane County Department of Human Services (DHS) reduce staff turnover and improve interaction with families, according to a new case study released today by Northwoods.

The agency is using Northwoods’ mobile application, Compass® CoPilot, to achieve these initial results:

• Social workers are saving 2-3 hours per day
• 50% reduction in turnover
• 84% reduction in case backlog
• More accurate and timely case notes
• More time to interact with families

Child protective services social workers are saving two to three hours a day on required paperwork, which is giving them more time to focus on the families they serve and to protect children.

Reducing the administrative burden decreases social workers’ stress levels, which has helped Dane County DHS reduce staff turnover by 50 percent and retain talented staff. The families they serve are receiving better service and realizing more positive outcomes.

"We want our social workers working with kids and families. We don't want our social workers sitting in front of a computer typing out what they wrote with a pencil in a notebook. This was a no-brainer," said Nick Zweifel, District 3 Supervisor, Dane County Government Board of Supervisors.

With Compass CoPilot in the field, mobile social workers can access and capture case and client information on their tablets during home or other visits so they can quickly add information into the Wisconsin Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (eWISACWIS).

Compass CoPilot also helps social workers and supervisors work together to make real-time decisions about child safety because they can instantly share and review photos and information to make assessments quickly.

About Northwoods

Northwoods’ only focus is helping state and county human services agencies increase client service levels and productivity while cutting costs — allowing them to do more with less. Northwoods’ human services software solutions are designed around caseworkers and social workers, not simply data collection. Our Compass®products automate the flow of client and case information based on how caseworkers throughout the agency need to use it. Northwoods is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio. For more information, visit teamnorthwoods.comor follow Northwoods on Twitter @teamnorthwoods.

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Contact: 

Tiffany Himmelreich
614.408.8772