BLOG

Editor's note: this blog post was originally published on March 13, 2017. We continue to update it as new courses and options become available in Northwoods University.

If you’ve ever had a question about using our software, you’re probably aware that answers to your questions are at your fingertips, starting with our robust online product help and extending to points of contact within your agency and through the Northwoods Support Center.

Still, our customers told us they’d like to see more. What about new workers who just need some help getting started with the software? Experienced workers who’d like a little refresher on a specific task? Or even supervisors and program managers looking for resources to support their teams?

We’re excited to announce that, in addition to our existing sources for product help, all users now have on-demand access to tutorial videos and product training through Northwoods University.

Keeping case initiation rates high and turnover low are two big priorities for Child Welfare program managers; however, without the right tools and processes in place, both are much easier said than done. Just ask Lenoir County Department of Social Services (DSS).

In 2006, the turnover rate for Lenoir County’s Child Welfare unit was 73% because documentation requirements and emotional stress were taking such a big toll on social workers. Inefficient processes affected case initiation rates too, which hovered below the 95% state standard at 80-85%.

Now, workers have access to office-based and field-based document management solutions designed for Child Welfare that give them more time to focus on engaging clients, building trust, and delivering quality service. As a result, turnover has decreased to 17% and social workers are consistently exceeding the state standard for case initiation with a 97% rate.

Human services agencies today are stretched for time and resources in almost every capacity. To really maximize efficiency, you need data. You need to be able to manage your workers’ caseloads, see how the tools you provide them are being used, and understand what services your community utilizes most.

Good news: you can now get the data you need through Compass® Reports for Compass® Pilot and Compass® CoPilot.

Imagine for a second how much more you could accomplish each day if you were able to put the hour or two that you usually spent doing paperwork toward actually doing your job.

Oh, the possibilities!

For Lenoir County Department of Social Services’ (DSS) Adult and Family Services social workers, the ability to repurpose hours previously spent on documentation means more time to focus on engaging clients, building trust, and delivering more holistic, quality service. Even better? Their documentation is still up to date and accurate too.

For many human services agencies, important documents and case information are long gone as soon as they’re filed in the system.

Think about it this way: most basic document and content management systems force workers to wait until the end of a case to scan and file their documents, which means they don’t have access to information when they really need it—while working the case. It’s hard for supervisors to coach and advise workers when they don’t have instant access to information either.

By the time critical information becomes available in the system, the case is already closed.