5 steps to improving social services.

Issues facing social services leaders are more complex than ever. Often, your

caseworkers simply don’t have the time or the systems they need to get to the heart of

the problems facing their clients. While IBM can’t give you more time, we can make sure

the time your caseworkers have is better spent serving the needs of clients with insight.

The five steps highlighted on the following pages lay out processes where IBM can help

your organization better identify and service the needs of clients.

Read “Addressing social determinants and their impact on healthcare.”

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Greater efficiency for better outcomes.

The first step is to figure out what a person really needs.

STEP 1:

It all begins with asking the right questions.

• What’s the primary reason someone is seeking assistance at this time?

• How complex are their needs?

• What relationships with support organizations already exist?

• What are the key events in an individual’s history?

Other considerations:

• Personal and family support

• Financial means

• Housing

• Education

• Safety

• Employment

• Nutritional needs

• Condition of health

In this step, it’s important to quantify an individual’s needs and desired outcomes.

STEP 2:

Gauging the need.• What are the individual’s base needs?

• What do you know about their environmental factors?

• What are the risk factors?

A thorough assessment is crucial and can be repeated many times in complex cases to ensure needs are understood and responded to.

Other considerations:

• Health

• Social context

• Personal and environmental strengths

• Personal and environmental weaknesses

From Step 2, you can determine your client’s eligibility and entitlement for benefits and services,

then create a customized plan to address those needs. No one-size plan fits all.

STEP 3:

From the plan comes a course of action.

• What resources, programs and entitlements do you recommend?

• What’s the best path for clients to get the results they need?

• What other providers should you coordinate with?

• Is there a backup plan?

To support your decision making, our solutions enable:

• Data capture and client evaluations

• Assessment-driven recommendations

• Tools for monitoring progress toward goals

• A single view of the citizen

Collaborate with teams across government and nongovernment programs, family members and

healthcare and support agencies.

STEP 4:

Provide the right services to the right person at the right time.

• What is the recommended care plan?

• What priority services are needed?

• Which workers best match the person’s needs?

• What are the desired outcomes?

Our solutions enable:

• Selection of services and scheduling

• Service registry and management

• Administration of contract

• A single view of the citizen

Outcomes must be measured at the individual, program and organizational levels.

STEP 5:

It all comes down to this: is it working?

• Are desired outcomes being met – for the individual, the program,

the organization?

• Has there been a positive change? Negative?

• What are the hot spots – for the individual and for the community?

Our solutions include analytics to make the above evaluations as

well as to predict future needs and identify preventative measures.

We help you help others.

Helping those most in need achieve better outcomes is what motivates social service professionals. It motivates us as well.

Because you and your caseworkers are on the front lines of care, it is vital that you have the technology to build the insights to serve each person as an individual based on their needs.

Our social program solutions enable data-driven insights to become the standard to optimize the services delivered, resulting in better outcomes.

See how IBM can help you improve outcomes for individuals and families across the

ecosystem of care.

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