Some people say that the devil is in the details, but some say details can be a devil to deal with!  According to Heather Lytle, Executive Director of F.A.C.T. (Family Advocacy and Community Training), an agency that mentors and empowers families to improve the quality of life and opportunities for children and adults with disabilities, “FAMCare was our first choice for case management because they understand that a small, family organization of 40 employees needs a software that focuses on the details without being too clinical.”  F.A.C.T. has been a FAMCare client since 2014 and chose them over several other products because of their ability to modify the software to fit F.A.C.T.’s needs, as well as the constant technical support that FAMCare offers its clients.

The history of the social work profession is the remarkable story of caring people responding to the evolving needs of societies marginalized. Since the first social work class was offered in the summer of 1898 at Columbia University, social workers have led the way developing private and charitable organizations to serve people in need.

Great responsibility yields great reward.  This is especially true of SARCOA (Southern Alabama Regional Council on Aging), the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) serving senior citizens of Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry, and Houston counties of southeast Alabama.  By continuously seeking ways to better serve the rapidly growing senior population through planning, coordinating, and developing community levels of service, SARCOA is able to make a huge difference as one of 13 AAA’s in Alabama, and one of more than 650 AAA’s in the nation

Sometimes, all an organization needs is a little organization!  This was the case for Michigan’s Departments of Community Health, DHS, and Education. In 1994, these organizations came together to form the Systems Reform Task Force with a primary goal to, “achieve better results for multigenerational families who receive services across multiple human service and educational systems.” The task force recognized the need for improved technology to simplify administrative processes, improved communication across systems, and reduced barriers to services for families. Specifically, children under DHS supervision frequently needed services across multiple systems. 

Sometimes grassroots efforts are great, and sometimes the grass needs to be mowed!  This is the case for the Randolph County Dept. of Social Services (RCDSS), an agency that provides residents of Randolph County, NC with access to programs that promote economic independence and family stability. Specifically, services are meant to assist families and individuals to live in safe environments and remain self-sufficient.

Randolph County’s business is not unlike many of the other clients served by FAMCare. The department’s home-grown system of PDFs and clustered data simply was not working anymore. Although robust records were kept over the years, the department soon found itself needing increased efficiency with better reporting capabilities.

When shopping for case management software services, most believe it is critical to find a product that is both fully customizable and accessible. However, this was not exactly the case for Matthew Gosting, Information Technology Director with Rite of Passage, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable youth through 40 plus programs spanning 15 plus states.

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 have seen first hand how having the right human services software can really make a difference in kids’ lives. How kids that are in the system, for whatever reason, can get better treatment, better understanding and a chance to just be kids.

It’s something most of us don’t think about – until it doesn’t work. The software that powers government entities has far reaching implications and potential consequences for the individuals and families living in the impacted communities.

NPQ recently reported that when the board of directors of Sweet Briar College decided it was time to throw in the towel the alumnae, students, and faculty staged an uprising. The board did not factor in the fidelity and energy of the dedicated alumnae who were now mature, accomplished, and professional women. The proud graduates of Sweet Briar, an educational nonprofit, utilized social media to mobilize stakeholders and essentially establish a new governance system…then used the courts to take over the board.