My name is Heather Lytle and I work for a non-profit family organization called F.A.C.T. F.A.C.T. staff work to support families that include a person with a disability. We are an organization that hires parents and guardians of people with disabilities who then in turn support other parents and guardians using a peer mentor approach.
How FAMCare Helps Us Manage Our Family Support Program
One program we offer is the Family Support Program. In this program, Parent Support Partners go out in the community to support their customers. Our positions do not require staff to have a degree as it is the life experience of raising a child with a disability that is so valuable when supporting other parents. We only require a staff member to have very basic technical skills as well which is why it is so important to be able to have a database system that is user friendly and easy to access like FAMCARE is.
Our Parent Support Partners meet with families in the family’s home or out in the community as the family chooses. Because FAMCare is a web-based database, the only requirements necessary to record case notes are to have a computer and a Wi-Fi connection. Once upon a time we would visit with a family, take notes on paper, come back to the office, and enter them. Now we are able to enter notes using collaborative documentation. This is when the staff member enters notes while they are meeting with the family. Not only is this a more effective use of a staff member’s time, but it allows for clearer and more accurate notes, and it gives the family an opportunity to see what is being written about them. It allows for total transparency.
FAMCare Has Helped us to Eliminate Paper Forms
Another process that has changed since we have begun using FAMCARE is that parents are not asked to manually fill out paperwork. We are able to create forms within the system that allow parents to use check boxes to reflect their choices regarding our program, and then they are able to sign the document electronically. This has saved us from scanning and uploading hundreds of documents in a given month.
We Can Collect Data on Any Subject, Program or Outcome!
Along with the ease of access that FAMCARE offers are the unlimited data collection possibilities. I am able to run productivity reports, case load reports, case note reports, and many others to ensure that we are compliant with our funder requirements. I have reports that can tell me how many people we serve in a year that have Autism, based on school, school district, age range or any other parameter I might choose. This specifically helps us communicate with our community partners so that we might better collaborate to serve our customers. Basically whatever information that is entered into the system, can be pulled out of the system in a report with whatever parameters I choose. This helps us to identify trends in the population that we serve.
Having the ability to gather information in a cohesive manner has helped us to focus on quality improvement within the organization on a much greater level than ever before. And the really great thing is that we aren’t even using all that FAMCARE offers which means that while we continue to work on quality improvements to better serve our customers, we have a database that allows for that growth.
Heather Lytle, M. Ed
Associate DirectorF.A.C.T.
