Child welfare caseworkers need to know how technology supports their practice, priorities, and daily work. Otherwise, it’s just another obstacle standing in the way of their mission to help kids and families.
Our new Human Services Huddle video series is designed to help you connect the dots through feature previews and use cases that show exactly how our tools help caseworkers help others.
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I recently read a Forbes article about government and the future of cloud. This line caught my attention:
“For many, cloud adoption is no longer an ‘if,’ it's a ‘when.’ The benefits of the public cloud are becoming too great to ignore.”
While I agree with this statement, I’m not so sure human services is as far along as other government programs. Human services is recognized as a top candidate for cloud migration, but there are still plenty of counties and states still in the process of wrapping their heads around what—if any—cloud-based technologies are right for their needs.
I know many of you still have questions and concerns about the cloud, so this post will help address them.
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Child welfare agencies have had to pivot multiple times over the past year to support and sustain a remote workforce, while enabling people to connect and share important information in new and different ways.
Now that working from anywhere has become the norm, agencies must have the right technology in place to mobilize case and client information so that workers can both make sense of it and use it to help others.
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As another year comes to a close (thank goodness!), it's time to recap our top blogs of 2020.
Below is a countdown of this year's posts that our readers found most insightful. Remember, you can subscribe any time to make sure you never miss out on future content.
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Social workers are some of the most resourceful, creative, and passionate people in the world. It’s just one of the reasons I’m so appreciative of your unwavering commitment to serve on the frontlines.
No matter the circumstances, you’ve always risen to the occasion to prioritize your communities and, most importantly, keep kids, families, and communities safe—even more than usual in these past several months of uncertainty, isolation, and anxiety. Thank you for being a source of stability and strength for the families who rely on you.
"A system like this is absolutely needed to support caseworkers to do what I believe they are walking through the door to do. That's to keep kids safe, to find them permanency, and to assist families in being healthy and self-sufficient."
When asked why Mesa County Department of Human Services (DHS) chose to implement Northwoods’ child welfare solution Traverse®, Child Welfare Director Joe Kellerby said it’s because agency leadership believed the software could empower caseworkers to meet the goals above. How? By minimizing administrative burdens to enhance critical work, thus allowing caseworkers to fully focus on building trust, engaging families, and reducing trauma.
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Traverse®—Northwoods' content collection and case discovery software solution—digitizes entire case files and mobilizes content to enable social work from anywhere. It surfaces critical information to help child welfare teams manage the complexity of today’s cases. As a result, agencies can better meet performance measures and permanency goals.
Read More![Prioritizing Technology in Human Services and Preparing for What May Be Next [Lessons from COVID-19]](https://blog.teamnorthwoods.com/hubfs/07-01-2020-COVID-19-Technology.jpg)
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a wake-up call for human services in many ways.
Initially, it forced agency leaders to rethink how and where mission-critical work could be done, as well as which tools and technology were truly essential to support this new way of operating. Now, the focus has shifted toward determining the best way to allocate shrinking budgets and limited resources to sustain these changes and navigate the new landscape for the long term.
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We’d like to take a moment to thank all the social workers who work tirelessly for children in foster care. Your days are long and too often touched by heartbreak. But because of your dedication and concern, you help create joy and hope for the families you serve.
In honor of National Foster Care Month, here are some amazing foster care success stories. We hope you find them to be an inspirational and heartwarming reminder of why you work so hard for your children and families.
It’s no secret the COVID-19 pandemic will impact child welfare for years to come. We asked our child welfare evangelist, Rich Bowlen, to share his insight on how agencies are adapting, what this means for child welfare in the future, and how to weather the long-term aftereffects of the storm.
