Human Services Reform

Human Services Reform

Across the country, state legislators are re-thinking human service systems - striving to direct state policies and resources in ways that will improve the lives of vulnerable children and families. Since 1998, the NCSL Human Services Reform Project has worked with legislators nationwide to explore the legislative role and develop useful tools for legislative decision-making.

The Project:

monitors trends and researches emerging developments in human services policies, state and local organizational approaches, financing strategies and accountability mechanisms,
develops results-focused tools for enhanced legislative decision-making and leadership, and
provides in-depth technical assistance and consultation that is tailored to individual state's goals and systems.

Current Project activities are designed to help legislators:

develop decision-making strategies that can help set policy and budget priorities in the current fiscal environment,
build new types of partnerships across state government and with communities, the private sector, and citizens,
use data as a decision-making tool to improve results for children, families and neighborhoods, and
redesign state service systems to achieve better outcomes for citizens and make better use of public resources.

For more information about the Project, please contact:

Teresa Myers 303-856-1476
Program Manager
Children and Families Program
cyf-info@ncsl.org

Susan Robison 970-385-1800
Consultant
Human Service Reform Project

State Activities

Iowa

Redesign of the state child welfare and juvenile justice system was the focus for hundreds of Iowa stakeholders during the 2003 interim. Public agency administrators, service providers, legislators, court officers, national experts and citizens contributed to town meetings, focus groups, interviews, and internet forums. The resulting plan, called "Better Results for Kids," includes proposals to:

Increase workers' "face time" with vulnerable children and families by streamlining duties and reducing paperwork,
Boost efficiency and flexibility by gradually shifting to results-focused accountability and pursuing a federal waiver to allow case rate payments for private providers,
Develop and expand best practices such as community partnerships for child protection, local resources for children at low risk of abuse, smooth transitions for children in state care and "aging out" of the system, continuity of education for children in custody, and reductions in disproportionate representation of African-Americans and Native Americans in the system.

Louisiana

Stakeholders are working to implement a wave of reforms enacted by the legislature in 2003. Service delivery changes that are slated include centralized intake, a coordinated system of specially trained case managers and multidisciplinary teams. Plans are to use regional service coordination teams, pool funds from as many sources as possible and develop performance-based contracts with providers. The feasibility of a consolidated agency for children and families is also under consideration. The Louisiana Children's Cabinet, a collaboration of executive branch leaders, legislators and judicial representatives, has a lead role in developing plans, tracking multi-agency spending, and monitoring the well-being of the state's children.

Vermont

Spurred by the legislature, Vermonters are exploring options for reorganization of the Agency of Human Services, an umbrella for seven state health and human services departments. Lawmakers established guidelines and goals for an intensive process of gathering information and recommendations, and a legislative oversight committee monitors planning. In January 2004, the Agency will submit a reorganization plan to the legislature. Leaders hope to build on the state's pioneering experiences tracking the well-being of citizens and promoting local public-private partnerships by improving communication, administration, and service delivery.

West Virginia

Over the 2003 interim, West Virginia legislators conducted a study of the Governor's Cabinet on Children and Families. Created by the legislature in 1990, it was one of the nation's first state-local structures of its kind. In addition to providing a forum for promoting child and family well-being statewide and for addressing interagency concerns, the Cabinet provides support for Family Resource Networks, Starting Points Centers, and other local, citizen-driven initiatives.

In 2003, the Governor discontinued Cabinet meetings, eliminated most staff, and proposed dismantling the organization. Citizens, other supporters of the state's Family Resource Networks protested, and legislators responded. Spurred by the show of grassroots and legislative support, the Governor has pledged to renew the Cabinet and plans to create a citizen advisory board to bring community perspective to the state-level. The Legislature is considering options for strengthening the Cabinet's role and capacity.

Other Activities:

Consolidating Human Services. To streamline bureaucracies and cut costs, a number of states are consolidating human services administrative functions and offices. Massachusetts, New Mexico and Texas approved legislation in 2003.

Child Welfare Redesign. In addition to Iowa, workgroups in Arizona, California and Washington are considering options for reforming their response to children who are abused or neglected.

Documents

Improving Children's Lives: A Tool Kit for Positive Results, Susan Robison, NCSL 2001. Many legislators are interested in results-based planning and budgeting, but few understand how to start. This tool kit will show you how.

"Focusing on Results for Kids," State Legislatures magazine, Susan Robison, NCSL, September 2002. This popular magazine article focuses on Maryland's experience creating and using a children's budget aimed at improving children's school readiness in the state.

"Family Support: Strategies to Strengthen Families," LegisBrief, Teresa Myers, NCSL, June/July 2003. This short brief highlights the diverse ways that legislators create structures to support families in their communities.

Assessing the Evidence of the Effectiveness of Community Decisionmaking, Center for the Study of Social Policy, upcoming publication.

Links to Additional Resources

State Information

Promising Practices www.promisingpractices.net
Highlights programs and practices that credible research indicates are effective in improving outcomes for children, youth, and families.
Georgia www.georgiafamilyconnection.org
Provides access to state and local benchmark data that track progress toward five core results, a resource library, news forum, links to other sites, and information about Family Connection and the Georgia Policy Council for Children and Families.
Iowa www.empowerment.state.ia.us
Provides information about the Iowa Community Empowerment Initiative, established by legislation during the 1998 Iowa legislative session in an effort to create a partnership between communities and state government with an initial emphasis to improve the well-being of families with young children.
Maryland
Office of Children, Youth and Families www.ocyf.state.md.us
Provides information about Maryland's eight core results for children, youth, and families, indicators, and statewide trends.
Department of Legislative Services, Budget Analysis http://www.ocyf.state.md.us/2002%20GENERAL%20ASSEMBLY%20BUDGET%20PRESENTATIONS.PDF
2002 Budget Summary document summarizes various children and family initiatives in the state and discusses progress toward desired outcomes.
Minnesota www.mnplan.state.mn.us/mm
Includes the history of Minnesota Milestones, the 19 goals for the state's future and 70 indicators that measure progress, and progress reports.
Missouri www.mofit.org
Contains information about Missouri's framework for change, the six core results for children, families, and communities, Caring Communities, and the Missouri Family and Community Trust.
Oregon
Agency Reorganization www.hr.state.or.us/dhrinfo/future/aphsaarticle.html
Article detailing Oregon's reorganization and integration of its Department of Human Services.
Oregon Progress Board www.econ.state.or.us/opb/
Contains background information about Oregon's Benchmarks and the Oregon Progress Board, online reports, and links for Oregon and beyond.
Vermont www.ahs.state.vt.us
Includes annual online reports of key results and indicators for children and families statewide and in every school district (Supervisory Union); other reports on the state's use of outcomes; and information about state, regional, and local partnerships to improve social outcomes.
West Virginia www.prevnet.org/outcomes/
Provides information about and analysis of six desirable outcomes for West Virginia's children and families and 37 indicators for monitoring local, state, and national-level well-being.

Other Organizations Doing Human Services Reform Work

The Annie E. Casey Foundation
www.aecf.org

The Urban Institute
www.urban.org

The Center on Law and Social Policy
www.clasp.org

Fiscal Policy Studies Institute
www.resultsaccountability.com

The Finance Project
www.financeproject.org

Center for the Study of Social Policy
http://www.cssp.org/

Data and Statistical Resources

KidsCount data
http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/
Annual publication that reports national and state-by-state profiles of indicators of child well-being.

ChildTrends
http://www.childtrends.org/HomePg.asp
Inventory of more than 80 national, state-level, and community projects that focus on the development or use of indicators of child, youth, and family well-being.

U.S. Census Bureau

Home page
http://www.census.gov

Population and Household Economic Topics
http://www.census.gov/population/www/index.html

National Center for Health Statistics
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/

Fed Stats
www.fedstats.gov

Urban Institute's State Database
www.newfederalism.urban.org/nfdb/index.htm

U.S. General Accounting Office Report on Human Services Integration - Modernizing Information Systems www.gao.gov/new.items/d02121.pdf

SAMHSA's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Statistics
http://www.drugabusestatistics.samhsa.gov/

Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP data
http://www.hcfa.gov/stats/