There are more than 20 million veterans in our country, and more than half of them are over age 65. While about 1,800 veterans die each day, few receive hospice care at end of their life. Social workers remind us that veterans have specific needs due to their time in service that hospice teams are specifically trained to address. While many veterans suffer chronic pain, presumptive disease, and traumatic injuries, a wider range of issues and concerns may also exist that may complicate end of life for veterans:

• PTSD (which may not surface until this point in life)
• Anxiety
• Traumatic grief
• Depression
• Survival guilt
• Troubling memories resurface.
• Reluctance to seek help for pain causes many to reject hospice care because they feel they need to be stoic and “fight on.”
• Anger due to pain, injury, or illness caused by war.
• Psychological issues of guilt, shame, or need for forgiveness and understanding due to having participated in war.

The US Government Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) partnered with Google last year to increase Veterans' access to services and data. This initiative was hailed as an achievement in a sector that, at times, seemed hesitant to fully embrace technology. 

However, VA's program delivered a clear message: the US government and non-profit sector serving former military personnel are ready to begin on a digital journey. One with numerous benefits for veterans and the opportunity for improvement in veteran case management. 

Another component that has recently acquired traction among government and private non-profit organizations is the gathering and analyzation of data for veteran services. Veteran services caseworkers realize the value in leveraging data's power to improve their services, and many organizations are eager to invest in data analytic technologies.

Let's look into the seeming simple but huge impact data driven analytics can change the way veteran service organizations operate.  

It’s 2023, and despite the reluctance of social services to adopt technology, many have finally broken the ice with tech. Cloud-based case management solutions, data science, and automation have now become a part of non-profits seeking to benefit from technology.

If you work in a social service field such as veteran service, child welfare, juvenile justice, or mental health provider, it’s about time you embark on the digitization journey. But before you pick non-profit software in 2023, here are some must-have features to look out for.

Social workers specializing in criminal justice have been dealing specifically with the rapid rise in police related violence since the onset of the COVID pandemic. They were surprised to discover that police are suffering from PTSD at an elevated rate. Yet this is what’s happening every day around the country as police officers with PTSD are thrust daily into fast-moving and dangerous situations. The estimated rates of PTSD in police officers range from 15% to 35%. In fact, the higher estimate is roughly equivalent to what the National Center for PTSD estimates as the lifetime prevalence of PTSD in combat veterans of the Vietnam War.

It’s never a good idea to be stuck in the past. Technology is making huge advancements every day, yet many non-profit organizations continue to maintain the same basis of operations for decades. Inefficiency breeds internal turmoil and can ruin budgets. There are many more effective options that you can utilize instead, such as getting a whole new non-profit case management software.  Think of it as an investment in the future success of your agency.   Here are some signs that you might need an upgrade...

There are over 700,000 social workers in the US as of right now, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number is constantly on the rise in the country, with over 1.8 million social services rendering their services to a vast clientele across different sectors.

From juvenile justice to child welfare, senior service, veteran service, and mental health case management, caseworkers in the US are at the forefront of serving humanity. With long working hours, harsh working conditions, and often underpaid, social workers are truly doing God’s work in American society.

But while case managers in social service have a whole range of skills to boast of, not many understand the importance of developing soft skills. In this article, we'll explain why, as a caseworker, you should prioritize developing soft skills in addition to your casework expertise.  

Since the worldwide onset of COVID-19, social workers are burning out and leaving the profession at an alarming rate. The shocking trauma of 1 million American deaths in under three years and the mantle of grief this slaughter draped over the everyday life of surviving family members was followed by a lingering threat of severe illness, economic uncertainty, and chronic under staffing in social services. Unsettling conditions are the exhaust fumes left behind by the pandemic as it fades off into the distance, and case workers are left to calm everyone’s nerves and guide them back to a semblance of normal life. Dedicated case managers continue to show up for work, day after daunting day, but are beginning to feel - “the faster they go, the behinder they get.”

Data has become an essential tool in today’s world. Data is driving the decisions and changing practices in successful enterprises, from tech giants to multinationals and the healthcare industry.

The social service sector, which may have been slower to accept technology in the past, is also witnessing the need for better data collection in their casework. Finding the most effective method for gathering and managing data in daily social work, however, is a challenge for many case managers and non-profit stakeholders.  They are conscious of the necessity and significance of data. The majority of human service businesses, though, remain dubious about the benefits of using digital case management to organize and process their data for reporting.  

For such doubtful case managers and social service providers who want to make a real difference in the communities they serve, here's a detailed article that not only highlights individual agency needs for better data but also takes a larger picture look at the challenges that agencies can overcome by leveraging the power of big data.  

Social work has a long history in the United States, having been formally established in the nineteenth century to assist immigrants in overcoming social and economic challenges. Two centuries later, social workers are one of the largest groups of public-sector employees. 

But as technology such as case management software has started to gain traction in the last few decades, social workers are concerned about their future. Much like other industries where tech was predicted to be the doom of professionals, social service workers also question their relevance in a tech-dominant future. 

The good news is that case managers and those with an educational background in social work can never be replaced by technology. However, adapting the technology and leveraging its offerings is essential for social workers who seem to succeed in the rapidly growing American social services sector. 

A non-profit organization is an important part of any community. It spends a substantial amount of time and effort solving global issues and making the world a better place. However, mistakes can be made in any organization. When a non-profit makes certain errors, it can significantly reduce their efficiency.  Since non-profits play a significant role in a community's safety net, we are going to look into 3 common mistakes made by these organizations.