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Using Program Data to Improve APS Performance. Or How I Learned to Be A Geek and Enjoy It. Karl Urban Director of Performance and Policy Development Texas Adult Protective Services. What are the Objectives of This Presentation?.
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Using Program Data to Improve APS Performance Or How I Learned to Be A Geek and Enjoy It Karl Urban Director of Performance and Policy Development Texas Adult Protective Services
What are the Objectives of This Presentation? • Participants will learn about quantitative and qualitative measures of APS performance. • Participants will learn how to use APS program data for employee accountability and performance improvement. • Participants will learn about the technological support systems for using APS program data.
What Will You Get Out of This Presentation? • This session will: • provide a review and discussion of data for measuring APS performance; • explain how employees and managers are encouraged and empowered to use data at the individual, unit and program level; and • demonstrate the technology systems and tools for accessing and using data. • Participants will not become geeks but they may just become better managers and decision-makers.
Why Am I Qualified to Talk About This? • I am a policy wonk by education and disposition • My prior experience with performance management using data • Texas Performance Based Planning and Budgeting System • State Unit on Aging/AoA/GPRA • My current job in Texas
Why Is This Topic Important for APS Programs? • The GAO just recommended that the federal government explore collecting performance information from APS systems. • Our experience in Texas suggests APS programs are a potentially data rich environment that can be used for accountability and program improvement.
What Are My Biases on Managing With Data? • It is a means, not the ends. • Data helps you to ask the right questions; rarely does it give definitive answers to policy or operational questions. • The rewards of managing by data are usually worth the effort, but you need to pay attention to potential unintended consequences.
What is the Status of APS Programs Today? • “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times” • Excitement – and a little apprehension – around EJA and attendant national focus • How do we help the federal government know what is important to measure? How do you actually do it across disparate state and county-based systems? • Most state and local programs are hurting financially • How do we use performance information to help do more with less? • What else do you think is critical in the APS world these days?
Texas is really, really big, very culturally diverse, and an extremely red state. …and Jerry Jones is actually from Arkansas
APS investigates allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults in the community age 65 or older or people with disabilities age 18-64. APS clients live in their own home, family homes or unlicensed congregate settings such as personal care homes or room and boards. APS conducted 82,802 in-home investigations in FY 2010. If needed, APS arranges for or pays for services to alleviate abuse and neglect, such as respite, and emergency assistance with food and shelter. APS arranged or paid for services in 42,926 cases in FY 2010. APS also makes referrals to law enforcement and to guardianship programs. Employs over 800 direct delivery staff with a total budget of almost $45 million APS is the safety net for the safety net in Texas What Does the Texas APS’ In-home Program Do? 10
What Does It Mean to Be the Safety Net for the Safety Net? FY 2010 Cases By Type of ANE
What Do Texas APS’ MH&IDD Investigations Do? APS investigates abuse, neglect, and exploitation of clients receiving services in the following state-operated and/or contracted settings: State Supported Living Centers State Hospitals State Centers Community mental health/mental retardation centers Privately-operated Intermediate Care Facilities for Persons with Mental Retardation Mental retardation waiver providers APS completed 9,922 MH&IDD related investigations in FY 10. Employs about 150 staff with a total budget slightly over $8 million 12
What Does the APS Program Look Like from a Metric Perspective?
Department of Family and ProtectiveServices Adult Protective Services
Department of Family and ProtectiveServices Adult Protective Services
Department of Family and ProtectiveServices Adult Protective Services
Department of Family and ProtectiveServices Adult Protective Services
Department of Family and ProtectiveServices Adult Protective Services
Department of Family and ProtectiveServices Adult Protective Services
Department of Family and ProtectiveServices Adult Protective Services
Department of Family and ProtectiveServices Adult Protective Services
Texas has a robust system of using qualitative (case reading) and quantitative (performance) data for employee accountability and program improvement. So?
What is Qualitative Data? • Based on case reading by 7 quality assurance specialists • 2 (closed) cases per worker per month • Scored against standards based on policy • Examples: • Was the case initiated in accordance with policy? • Was the client assessment tool completed appropriately? • Did the investigator collect all the necessary evidence? • Rolls up into 3 scales • Investigation: how good was the investigation? • Outcome: was the client protected and services delivered? • Process: did we cross our Is and dot our Ts? • Rolls up into worker, unit, region, statewide data
What is Quantitative Data? • Based on documentation in case management system by workers • Extensive system of available reports from MRS (Management Reporting System) • Examples: • Timeliness of documentation, face-to-face contacts • Case durations • There are multiple levels of reports: • Twelve month summaries that are used for evaluation purposes and • Monthly reports that provide a case detail list for the months summarized on the twelve timeliness reports • There are also quarterly, weekly and even daily reports
How Does APS Use Program Data? • Provide data to inform employee and program accountability. • Provide data for managing and enhancing the program. • Provide data to assess and enhance quality of casework and investigations.
How Does APS Use Data for Employee Accountability? Provide data to inform employee and program accountability. • Achieve client-centered outcomes (intake, investigations, risk assessment, delivery of services). • Inform job performance standards. • Establish method of accountability, including awareness and procedures for monitoring. • Provide information for conducting periodic employee performance reviews.
How Does APS Use Data for Managing and Enhancing the Program? • Systemic/periodic data collection (management reporting system/tools). • Enhance employee performance. • Measure the operationalization of certain policies. • Regional/unit/worker development.
How does APS UseData to Assess and Enhance Quality of Casework and Investigations? • Appropriate notifications to law enforcement and/or other entities. • Capture critical components of casework. • Establish clear investigation performance standards. • Ensure compliance with documentation requirements. • Establish process for reviewing staff decisions. • Reporting to external and/or internal Stakeholders.
Where Does All This Data Come From? • The intranet, of course • Case reading database • MRS data warehouse • Accessible to: • EVERYONE!
For Discussion:What are the consequences - positive and negative – of using data to drive accountability and performance?
What are the consequences - positive and negative - of using data to drive accountability and performance? • Provide data to inform employee and program accountability • • Objective, 3rd party, consistent, measures compliance with the most important policy • Valuable resource for conversations between supervisors and employees about employee’s development • • When used in evaluations, QA data is perceived as punitive, not constructive • Case reading sample size is small at employee level • What should determine employee performance: subjective, inconsistent supervisors or biased, inconsistent case readers?
What are the consequences - positive and negative - of using data to drive accountability and performance? • Provide data for managing and enhancing the program • • “What gets measured gets moved” • • “All management cares about is ‘the numbers’”
What are the consequences - positive and negative - of using data to drive accountability and performance? • Provide data to assess and enhance quality of casework and investigations. • • Zero in on cause and effect by disaggregating and examining • Track and trend key issues • • Data must be accurate and reliable (“faceplate game”)
Karl UrbanDirector of Performance and Policy DevelopmentTexas Adult Protective Serviceskarl.urban@dfps.state.tx.us512.438.5518