Written by Susan Robison

As legislators steer state human services systems, their primary goal is to provide better conditions for citizens. A growing number of policymakers are embracing a common sense decision-making model that focuses attention and actions on making measurable improvements in the lives of children and their families. The approach borrows from successful business practices: developing a clear picture of desired results, focusing resources and efforts on that target, and systematically tracking progress with specific, measurable indicators. Legislators who view human services as poorly defined and impossible to measure welcome this businesslike alternative.

Shifting Focus

Florida Representative Sandy Murman, the House Speaker Pro Tempore and former chair of the House Committee on Children and Families, describes the results model as "a new way of thinking," with huge potential for helping legislators make better policy and budget decisions. Instead of creating and maintaining the plethora of programs and funding streams that are intended to address discrete problems, the priority shifts to achieving results that are critical to the well-being of the state's children. The idea is to get broad agreement about the conditions citizens want for children, redirect existing resources (including staff, funds, policies and organizations) toward those results, monitor and publicize progress.

The focus on results has swept the public sector with strategic planning, performance-based budgeting, and even managed care initiatives-all intended to make government more effective and efficient. The decision-making framework outlined here does not replace other efforts. On the contrary, it can help policymakers connect those and other initiatives in a meaningful way by making improvements in children's lives the priority that drives decisions.

Using Data and Public Will to Improve Results

New types of public-private partnerships connect businesses, the faith community, and neighbors with teams of educators, social services, mental health, and health care providers to develop strategies for achieving results. A community partnership in Lamoille County, Vermont focuses on improving results for citizens from birth through old age. To reduce falls that lead to high rates of long-term care for the elderly, the community developed creative, no-cost activities that complement public services. Every time a senior citizen passes through a grocery store line, the clerk and "bagger" check the customer's shoelaces and tie them if necessary. Neighbors and churches have organized to shovel snow from the driveways and sidewalks of the elderly.

Vermont is one of a growing number of pioneering states where citizens and policymakers alike use data to monitor and improve the lives of children. Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Vermont and West Virginia maintain web sites that allow users to examine, map and graph state and community data. These and other results tools help develop well-informed public dialogue, mobilize support for efforts to improve child well-being, and contribute to better policy decisions. Vermont's accomplishments since the state began focusing on results a decade ago include a 40 percent decline in the number of substantiated victims of child abuse and neglect and a 31 percent decrease in the teen birth rate.

Set the Course: Articulate Results
Identify Indicators to Track Progress
Establish the Baseline: Examine Current Conditions and Trends
Set Targets and Explore Strategies for Change
Put Selected Strategies into Action
Monitor Progress
Make Course Corrections between 4, 5 and 6.

Source: Susan Robison, NCSL, April 24, 2001.