Social Services Web-Based Case Management and Appointment Scheduler Systems

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

The Human Services Division of Henrico County’s Social Services Department is responsible for the accurate determinations, renewals and timely issuance of benefits to the citizens who seek out our programs. In order to meet state and federal mandates, the ability to track application and renewals and provide timely appointments is paramount. In partnership with the county’s Department of Information Technology, two new systems were developed and implemented to enhance staff productivity and to provide improved services to the clientele served through social services. The social services system in Virginia is state supervised and locally administered. The county is held responsible for the expenditure of funds in the administration of all programs by state and federal regulations. In order to meet this mandate, the agency required a reliable web-based data management system and appointment scheduler to ensure the integrity of the workload process for timely and accurate dimensions. The partnership and coordination of two of the county’s largest departments in crafting and implementing major process improvements were evidenced by the utilization of county staff from both agencies. The collaboration between the Department of Social Services and Information Technology resulted in a user-friendly web-based system for workload management, allowing for the retirement of a legacy system that was limited by outdated technology and software design. The implementation of the Appointment Scheduler alleviated a crowed lobby and long waits outside of the building for clientele. These systems were developed in-house to include implementation and training with minimal assistance from an outside consultant during the data migration phase. The in-house implementation produced a cost effective solution for the county.