We are in an unprecedented stretch of strong economic conditions where there are more jobs than job applicants. Yet, there are still many children and families who are suffering and in need of government agency help. So many, in fact, that human services caseworkers often still feel overwhelmed by heavy caseloads and the accompanying paperwork.

I recently read an article in Forbes about how Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are broken. And while some of the points they made were appalling, they weren’t surprising – at least, not to me. We’ve known about the limitations of the government approved EHRs for some time now.

Your nonprofit organization has been growing and helping more people on a regular basis. You have good case workers who care about their clients and making a difference. Have you reached the point where investing in the right case management software could propel your organization to a new level, while making your case workers more effective at their jobs? Here are some tips to see if you’re ready to take that next step.

Helping people through the physical and mental issues they’re dealing with is often just a part of the healing process. For many, spirituality is a core value of their life, and therefore an integral part of the therapeutic process.

When it comes to your clients and your fellow caseworkers, nothing is more important than meeting face-to-face. The more time spent directly with your client, the more likely you are to achieve the individual case goals and fulfill the mission focus. On paper it seems simple and obvious, yet paper is exactly what continues getting in the way. That’s where having the right human services software comes in.

In recent years, funders are demanding that social service organizations analyze their program activities and outputs in a more meaningful way. For agencies to just say they are “doing good” is no longer enough. Organizations now need to justify costs by demonstrating program value. They must be able to justify their programs and funding by illustrating the quality of their services and show that their programs are producing meaningful outcomes that are aligned with larger policy priorities.

A caseworker’s job consists of many facets: assessing client needs, home visits, evaluations, reporting, listening to concerns, problem solving, providing referrals and the list goes on. While wanting to collaborate with coworkers and the community on projects is always the goal, the ability to do so can often be hindered by a caseworker’s workload. Fortunately, with the right case management software in place, increased collaboration can be possible.

We’ve already discussed how nonprofit software solutions make it possible for your organization to focus more of its time on the mission, but we’d like to take it a step further. Not only can the right software solution provide an organization with more time to focus on the mission, it can also help you manage relationships better.

Safeguarding your clients’ privacy is something that must be taken seriously, regardless of your industry. Ensuring your caseworkers receive the proper Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance training is necessary not only to protect the clients, but to protect your organization.

This is the second in our series on case manager stress relief. In our first post, we talked about the physical things you can do daily to relieve stress. Today we'll talk about the mental ways to find case manager stress relief.