With unprecedented turnover and staffing shortages as a result of the Great Resignation, human services across the nation are being stretched thin. As you know too well, the reasons are complex and there are often multiple contributing factors including, but not limited to:

• Time pressure due to high case load, overwhelming paperwork and compliance requirements that leave them little time to help families.
• Lack of resources which includes training, tools and technology.
• Feeling ineffective and frustrated due to outdated and inefficient systems that they feel have no power to change.
• Questioning their effort as to whether or not they are making a difference.

Agencies facing this crisis must act quickly and boldly, employing strategies that are new, innovative and evidence based, and that make staff feel supported in their purpose and that most importantly build capacity while maintaining program integrity.

Steps Forward to Address the Crisis

The first place to start is to evaluate your current processes to ensure they are not overly cumbersome and time-consuming, and simplify them. This includes revisiting paperwork to ensure it’s not inadvertently complex and creates undue stress to complete or track it.

The second initiative is to invest in technology. Technology absolutely plays a role in supporting your workforce policies and practices including:

• intake and data collection
• case management and referral
• coaching towards goal achievement
• services delivery (workshops and training) and resource information sharing
• in-person, remote or hybrid working and meetings

It’s important to note when evaluating the use of technology that many of your new hires may well be true “digital natives” and they will expect organizations to have deployed simple and intuitive tools in order to support their job. Without such, they may become quickly frustrated with the “old, paper-based way” of doing things.

So, what your technology strategy going forward?

A Purpose-Built Platform for Human Service

TuaPath is a technology platform built based on the work we do with TANF, SNAP, WIOA, NCP and other human services programs.  TuaPath offers a comprehensive set of functionalities that help staff to more efficiently and effectively manage the many aspects of a program including:

• Orientation (intake) and required paperwork,
• Setting goals and tracking progress,
• Coaching towards goal achievement,
• Following up with reminders,
• Tracking compliance and verifying work activities and hours,
• Communicating regarding events, workshops, resource availability, policy changes or out-of-office (emails and texts) to case load,
• Engaging non-English speaking in their language,
• In-person, remote or hybrid working and meetings,
• And more!

To learn more about TuaPath, click on any of the links above or contact us for a demonstration.