ROCS (Reports, Outcomes, and Services

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

Several years ago, as a system improvement, Catawba County Social Services “imbedded” Business Managers and Information Technology specialists in Program Areas through the agency. This initiative has resulted in multiple benefits in creating efficiencies and cross-system knowledge integration. In 2008, this “co-location” resulted in a rapid, cost-saving approach to a new state data collection requirement in Child Protective Services. In order to satisfy new state social service requirements in spring 2008, social workers in Child Protection were faced with completing at least three new reports manually; the state did not provide any electronic option for the task. The data compilation from these reports would have been time consuming and repetitive for administrative staff and management, requiring an additional 40 minutes for over 2000 cases assessed per year. In response, in less than months, a team was assembled to develop and implement an alternative electronic system, ROCS (Reports, Outcomes, and Services) which was rolled out in July, 2008. Now social workers enter data into only one data base. Administrative staff and management can create the variety of required reports from this one source resulting in a time savings of over 1600 hours per year, saving approximately $32,000 in child welfare staff time.