Group and the Child Welfare Institute to assist with the development of this management initiative. Public trust in DCFS had fallen to very low levels in the previous six years. In fact, DCFS was operating under a federal court-ordered consent decree as the result of a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of children in the Illinois child protection and welfare system.
The first phase of the management initiative involved a strategic diagnosis of the state child protection system. The Child Welfare Institute and The Public Strategies Group interviewed 200 stakeholders of the system and reviewed many DCFS documents and reports. As part of this diagnosis, PSG consultants presented material that gave voice to client and stakeholder needs and expectations at a retreat with DCFS leaders.
Following the completion of the Phase I action planning project, DCFS contracted with The Public Strategies Group for three separate projects: quality assurance, purchase of services redesign, and information systems planning.
- Quality Assurance: PSG facilitated the development of performance outcomes for DCFS. This project took the unusual step of bringing together litigants (i.e., DCFS, the plaintiffs, and the court appointed monitor) to arrive at a mutually acceptable set of service outcomes and measures by which the effectiveness of the Department will be judged.
- Purchase of Service Redesign: DCFS annually purchases approximately $700 million of child welfare services from private Illinois social service agencies. PSG was asked to redesign the Purchase of Services (POS) system for substitute care, both foster home and "home of relative services."
- Information Systems Planning: DCFS has embarked on a comprehensive information systems design project. PSG played the role of on-going consultant to this process and coach to the project leaders.
Results Achieved
Phase I: Strategic opportunities (over 20 were identified), a stakeholder map, and the major issues surrounding a community based-design were the final products of this phase of the strategic management initiative. The strategic opportunities were the basis for DCFS to move ahead to phase II of the strategic management initiative.
Phase II Quality Assurance: With PSG serving as group facilitator as well as doing all staff work on the project, a set of performance outcomes were agreed upon, measures to assess these outcomes were developed, a plan for gaining stakeholder buy-in was created, and a model outcomes report is being completed. Particularly noteworthy is the support this project received by all parties involved in the litigation.
Phase II Purchase of Service Redesign: Building on the reinvention principles of enterprise management, accountability, and feedback, PSG completed a POS redesign. To arrive at this design over 85 people were interviewed and 350 documents reviewed. As of fall 1995, the initial design was complete, with design details and implementation expected in the months ahead.
Phase II Information Systems Planning: The information systems work plan is completed with significant initial milestones having been achieved.
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