Computer system on tap for DSS
By Steve Herring
Published in News on May 21, 2015 1:46 PM
Wayne County commissioners on Tuesday balked at the initial cost of $1,353,136 and then $153,740 annually for each of the following four years for support services for a new hardware and recordkeeping software system for the Department of Social Services.
But they said they liked the improved efficiency and the savings the system will ultimately generate and unanimously approved a contract with Northwoods Software Corp. to install the system.
The new system is expected to pay for itself within five years, while creating time efficiencies that will allow staff members to spend more time doing actual social work instead of paperwork, County Manager George Wood said.
The state will pay about $898,758 over a five-year period for the installation and ongoing software maintenance contracts.
Also, three full-time and two temporary positions have been cut in DSS to help offset the cost. One of the full-time positions was vacant, and the other two employees will be offered jobs elsewhere in the department.
DSS administers a "myriad" of social programs funded either by the federal or state government, each with its own set of administrative regulations that include eligibility criteria, Wood said.
"Our personnel have to determine each client's eligibility for each separate program," he said. "Our personnel are experts in eligibility for individual programs, as no one could learn and keep current on all of the regulations. That means a client may be eligible, for example, for four different programs. We currently do everything using a paper system.
"So, that client would have to enroll with four different people. The problem is that the personal information needed such as addresses, Social Security numbers, income verification, must be re-typed by all four intake personnel."
It is, he said, an "archaic system" in an age of computerization.
"Obviously, we need to purchase a software package that will allow this information to be captured once, then scanned into a database that tracks that client's history of interactions and which programs they have participated in," he said. "In addition, it will cut down on the storage files needed in each division to house the current records.
"Once we move to the software for new clients, we can include the scanned records we have made for previous years. This will provide the complete historical database for each client."
Most counties have already moved to computerized intake and recordkeeping, he said.
The county has experienced extreme increases in caseloads, DSS Director Debbie Jones said.
"Coupled with the stressful nature of social work, Wayne County DSS needed to find a way to increase efficiency and focus employees' time and efforts where they are most needed, working directly with clients, while still being cost-effective," Mrs. Jones said. "Social Services work is a high-stress, demanding job that comes with high turnover rates.
"Reducing the paperwork burden reduces stress on workers, which improves retention rates and ultimately improves service to families. The agency was at a crossroads and I needed to make a decision to find the balance between spending more time on cases and less time documenting. We're constantly putting more demands on our staff. With the amount and type of work they do, it's great to have this opportunity to provide tools that will actually help them do their jobs."
In addition to helping caseworkers in the office, Northwoods' mobile document management solution will help mobile social workers access and update documentation using an iPad app from the field, rather than using paper forms and documents, she said.
"The mobile app allows social workers to spend more time with families by reducing the time they spend completing required paperwork," she said. "Time spent in the field with families is the best way to improve safety outcomes, reduce reoccurrence and establish permanency for children.
Commissioner Joe Daughtery said that while the board recognizes the "urgency" of the project that members should pause and recognize they were talking about "huge amounts of dollars."
Commissioner Ray Mayo said that as a DSS board member he saw where Daughtery was "coming from."
"Some of the counties that have not gone paperless yet are having to add anywhere, we have heard, from 30 to 40 employees," Mayo said. "We have to do it sooner or later anyway, and we are already behind (on applications) as has been mentioned.
"It is a lot of money. I agree with you there. But the payback and maybe next year if we wait a year or so, this money from the state may not be available. So I see it now as a proper time to do this."
Commissioner Bill Pate, who is also on the DSS board, agreed, calling the county's current system an "archaic horse-and-buggy."
"According to the DSS spreadsheet, we would save $385,705 annually," Wood said. "During the first year, our costs would be more than that to install the software and equipment.
"But in the other four years, we would save $254,139 per year. The net result is that over a five-year period, we would net a savings of $302,037. Every year after that would net the $254,139 in savings."