Establishing Goals and Objectives for the Use of Technology

Goals and objectives should encompass the full range of options the agency wants to accomplish, but be incrementally scheduled for action based on set priorities. So that all program staff know what technology will be in place and when, technology staff should identify projects and activities in the pipeline. The goals and objectives of these technology initiatives should be clear and include:

• A feasible timeline 
• Discreet, attainable, verifiable steps toward implementation
• Definitions of success that let the agency and stakeholders know when goals have been achieved 

Key Initiatives

Practicing Good Stewardship
When deciding on a technology solution for organizational challenges, consideration should be given to financial feasibility and necessity. Chasing after the most current and powerful technology can be futile given the speed at which technology changes, so solutions should be kept as simple as possible and centered on the objectives it was designed to meet.

Costs allowed should be directly related to the improvements in productivity and children, youth and families outcomes that the technology plan will produce. In all cases, children, youth and families’ rights to confidentiality should be protected. This requirement, however, can often be satisfied in various ways.


In recommending the purchase of new equipment, technology staff should know the costs and the time that should be invested to make the equipment fully operational and to maintain it, so that leadership can establish priorities for cost effect purchase and/or leasing equipment. Hardware and software languages don’t often change dramatically, so it may be cost effective to adapt new systems to those already developed rather than create a new one. Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products may offer cost effective emerging technologies for streamlining an older system to better meet current public child welfare technology needs. Leasing may allow for updating systems and exchanging equipment that proves ineffective during implementation.

Using a non-standardized program language unknown to many may be cheaper up front but can become more expensive given learning curves and difficulties when adding compatible components or upgrades. If totally new technology is absolutely necessary, selecting mainstream technology will lead to longer lasting solutions and increase the chances for these new systems to interface well with the technology of other agencies.

Establishing Cross Sector and Inter-Agency Innovation and Integration to Foster Collaboration
Interfacing with other systems may also be a cost effective way to leverage agency capacity to access and/or acquire optimal technology. Fully integrated technology systems can ensure that courts, agencies and other social service providers are able to coordinate services within the network of helping agencies. In addition, searching for information about existing services and identifying complex eligibility criteria can take place quickly and along multiple access points.

But the issue here is not only one of technology systems capabilities. It is about changing mindsets and agency cultures with respect to turf, power, control and trust between agencies. Agency leaders should examine questions regarding ownership of data and the responsibility to preserve children, youth and families’ confidentiality. They, in turn, are responsible for directing technological data exchange. Managing potential conflicts is challenging but should not be insurmountable given the potential of improving casework and agency effectiveness.


Maintaining an Adequate Data Depository
Technology eases the collection of data, creates systems to hold it with integrity and security and provides efficient access to it when needed in formats relevant to the needs of end users. It might be thought of as a data warehouse.

Preserving Confidentiality
Encryptions, passwords, firewalls and other tools can be built into technology systems to support an agency’s confidentiality policy and provide reasonable ways to maintain the confidentiality rights of the children, youth and families served and meet the need to share information with other agencies and government institutions charged by statute with protecting or serving children and families. All agencies and employees, however, are responsible to know and abide by the confidentiality rules of the agency and their identified profession and must be held accountable to be competent in the use of any technology operated so that these rules are not breached. In addition, when technology is incorporated into case practice (such as the purposes of screening, assessment, case planning, service delivery and the tracking of achievement of outcomes) the children, youth and families served must be engaged to understand the benefits and risk of its use in storing their personal information and transmitting it to other agencies, as well as using technology to communicate with them directly. Technology competence is integral to competent and responsible profession practice. [Link to IM]

Ensuring Data Security
But data security goes beyond access protection and preserving confidentiality. It requires measures to keep data safe from corruption, viruses and hackers as well as from disasters. (Disaster recovery will be discussed in the next section.) All those with system access must be trained to avert accidental alteration and to practice and promote accurate data entry. A data erasure protocol may be required when those with access to the system have terminated employment either involuntarily or voluntarily. The parameters established by state and federal mandates and international standards need to be incorporated into agency rules and built into technology systems.

Developing and Testing Disaster Recovery Plans and Systems
Disaster recovery plans should be included in all risk management analyses. It is critical that plans be in place so that technology stays viable when disaster strikes. Disaster recovery plans should be mobile (that is, they can be set up and operated remotely), be updated and tested frequently, backed up regularly and reviewed closely by the “business side” of the agency to make sure they meet the agency’s specifications. Critical disaster responses, such as the use of technology to organize humanitarian relief and reconnect families, should be defined and agreed upon with input from the program staff and leadership. Proper plans should be made so that data and systems deemed critical can be restored to working condition quickly during natural disasters. Technology management should develop the plan, but it is critical that all staff know the time and steps it will take to get it back online and operational, and, if necessary, from an alternate site.

When disaster strikes, the workforce needs to know not only when and where to report for work but to know what technology will be available and how to use it to assist with service delivery. It is critical for technology systems to: 1) be backed-up offsite; 2) use universal languages to promote accessibility; 3) enable interagency linkage to meet disaster-related needs, such as food, shelter, clothing and medical care; 4) be able to locate children, youth and families and connect them with providers that can assist them; and 5) provide verification of eligibility for emergency services.


Building and Supporting a Mobile Workforce to Promote Quality Case Management that will Improve the Effective Delivery of Services to Children, Youth and Families
Through cell phones, PDAs, voice mail, customized laptops, remote connections and without returning to the office, frontline program staff are able to: 1) more easily establish contact with children, youth and families to facilitate appointments and locate resources; 2) make immediate contact with the office and supervisory and resource personnel for consultations and better decision-making; 3) remotely access information systems to retrieve and input information; 4) process applications for urgent service needs immediately from the field; and 5) make contacts as needed to secure their own safety.

The advantages are obvious: reduced transit time, more time available to work with children, youth and families and the ability to enter data while it is fresh. All mobile devices should be encrypted to maintain confidentiality. Systems can be set up to suspend or hold each user’s session for a period of time in a way that allows the user to reconnect without losing data in case the connection is interrupted.


Creating and Sustaining a Robust Environment Capable of Meeting Federal, State and End User Requirements and Supporting Program and Policy Development
The entry, storage and accessibility of data in an automated system ease the administrative burden on all levels of staff and assists with program development and usage.


Reducing System Down Time
Staff at all levels will have optimal access to the technological system.