Handel News Archives

Handel’s Vice President to Facilitate Workshops at NICWA’s 36th Annual Conference

February 15, 2018/in Adoption, Adult Protective Services, Child Protective Services, Domestic Violence, Employment and Training, Foster Care, Handel News, Indian Child Welfare, News, TANF Reporting, Technology, Training, Tribal Government, Tribal TANF/by Tiffany Edmonds

Handel’s Vice President of Sales was selected to speak at the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) 36^th Annual Protecting Our Children National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect. This marks the fifth time Casey Bader was chosen to facilitate workshops at NICWA’s annual conference.

His session, “Stop! Hey, What’s that Sound? Everybody Look What’s Going Down,” will examine how to effectively share information about tribal social service programs. Many Tribes have invested in programs to improve services and outcomes, and during this session attendees will see how to get that message out to clients and members after the internal work has been completed. He will highlight principles of marketing and how to apply those principles to Indian Child Welfare, Protective Services, and Foster Care Programs.

Casey Bader has presented at numerous conferences previously including:

2017, 2015, 2014, and 2013 NICWA’s National American Indian Conferences on Child Abuse and Neglect
2017 and 2016 National Indian and Native American Employment and Training Conference (NINAETC)
2017 WIOA Employment and Training Conference
2015 National Tribal Child Support Association Conference
2013 and 2012 United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) Annual Meetings
2013 and 2012 TribalNet Conferences
2013 Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) Convention

Casey has over 15 years of experience identifying barriers to evaluating and implementing complex software solutions for social service organizations. Past conference workshop topics have included engaging membership through technology, the White Earth Nation WE CARE service delivery model, and best practices for enterprise-wide software implementations.

Looking for a speaker on topics of Tribes and technology? Casey is available to present at conferences or trainings on a wide variety of topics including program and data integration, enterprise-wide software implementations, systems-of-care, case management models, social services marketing, and digital security and compliance, among others.

RiteTrack for Tribal Treatment and Wellness Programs

October 6, 2017/in Child Protective Services, Foster Care, Handel News, Indian Child Welfare, Technology, Tribal Government/by Tiffany Edmonds

You can view a recording of our webinar that examined how RiteTrack is used for Tribal Treatment and Wellness Programs here.

The Treatment Services module is used by counseling, substance abuse, mental health, and similar tribal programs. During this recording you can see the functionality available for treatment and recovery support services.

This module was built with direction from recognized mental health best practices and offers a wealth of standard functionality. Handel also allows for extensive configuration options to ensure the system reflects the Tribe’s cultural values for mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Functionality illustrated in the recording includes:

Admissions
Treatment Plans
Progress Notes
Individual and Group Counseling
Clinical Information
- Substance Abuse
- Lab Tests
- Mental Health History
- Family History
- Trauma History

These modules can be paired with other RiteTrack modules to incorporate the directives of Tribal Healing to Wellness Programs.

Handel Information Technologies, Inc. Celebrates 20 Years in Business

September 20, 2017/in Handel News, Juvenile Justice, News, Tribal Government/by Tiffany Edmonds

In an era when software companies come and go, Handel Information Technologies has achieved two decades of innovation and growth.

Handel began operating in 1997 as a general IT consulting company. In 1998 Handel landed a contract to develop a software solution for a juvenile assessment center in Colorado. Shortly after this solution was implemented other counties started calling for similar solutions.

Recognizing the opportunity, Even Brande, the company’s founder and President, saw an unmet need in the market for juvenile justice software solutions and created the first version of RiteTrack. Through subsequent generations RiteTrack has grown into a robust, web-based, off-the-shelf solution for juvenile justice programs and tribal social service.

The early success of the custom-developed RiteTrack system indicated there was a need for reliable database solutions to manage and report on case and client information. Over the years, Handel secured contracts with juvenile detention centers and Native American Tribal governments, and through close partnership, developers recognized that each group had common information and reporting needs.

This led the company to begin developing a standard solution that could be sold out-of-the-box, but we also realized juvenile programs and Tribes often had data needs unique to their programs as well. So, the current version of RiteTrack offers standard functionality with the option to tailor or customize some data points to fit an organization’s specific needs.

Handel found its niche and thrives on serving the organizations and employees in these fields who provide support to their clients or members.

Currently Handel has remote offices in every time zone in the continental U.S. with its headquarters in Laramie, Wyo.

Being part of the close-knit community of Laramie, Brande gives back to the community in many ways. He and his wife Anne Brande remodeled and restored the building at 200 S. 3^rd St.

Brande also gives generously to organizations and clubs in the community and has been or currently sits on many boards including the UW College of Business Advisory Board, the UW Computer Science Advisory Board, and the Leadership Wyoming Advisory Board.

He and Anne have served as Campaign Co-Chair of Albany County United Way, and Handel adopted a stretch of the Laramie Greenbelt that Brande and employees help keep clean.

Handel’s employees also volunteer their time in the community for various organizations that help improve the quality of life for everyone in Laramie, Albany County, and Wyoming.

Handel will commemorate the occasion with a Business After Hours event on October 12, 2017 at the headquarters in Laramie, Wyo. The public is welcome to attend.

Embracing Technology in the Juvenile Justice Field

July 6, 2017/in Handel News, Juvenile Facilities, Juvenile Justice/by Tiffany Edmonds

Many organizations and those working in them feel anxious when starting to evaluate or implement a technology project. This anxiety may center around implementing the new technology and ensuring that the day-to-day users will accept and use the technology. Technology should be selected and implemented to ultimately help improve services and efficiency for the organization.

I hosted a webinar during which I examined common issues that arise when implementing new technology and pointed out four main aspects that every organization should address when trying to help users or organizations embrace technology. It’s an important topic to evaluate when considering a new system.

The webinar provided valuable information that administrators can use to help alleviate any resistance they face. One of the most important points to remember is to involve the users, line staff, data entry specialists, or other integral parties in the implementation process. If administrators can get the staff to buy in and embrace the new technology, then the likelihood of a successful implementation and a positive experience is higher.

I am reminded of a saying “junk in will equal junk out.” Meaning if staff are not entering information into the system as it is designed, then the outcomes will not be what is expected. During the webcast, I provided practical steps every agency can use to overcome resistance to embracing technology and highlighted the benefits of incorporating technology into operations.

Please view the recorded webinar here to learn some practical steps and points that will assist you in embracing and successfully implementing technology in your organization.

Handel Vice President to Present at NICWA’s 35th Annual Conference

January 26, 2017/in Child Protective Services, Domestic Violence, Foster Care, Handel News, Indian Child Welfare, News, Tribal Government, Tribal TANF/by Tiffany Edmonds

Handel’s Vice President of Sales was selected to speak at this year’s National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) 35^th Annual Protecting Our Children National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect. Casey Bader will present to conference attendees on “Promoting Your Program—Marketing for Tribal Social Services.”

The presentation will focus on principles of marketing and applying those principles to tribal social services, avenues for promoting services, identifying the appropriate audience, evaluating promotion efforts, and creating a marketing plan for promoting services.

This year’s NICWA Conference workshop will explore how a common business tactic can be applied to highlight tribal social services for members, clients, volunteers, and funding sources and nonprofits. Participants will have the opportunity to develop a marketing template that they can take back and adjust to fit their Tribe’s needs.

Vice President Casey Bader has presented at numerous conferences including:

2016 National Indian and Native American Employment and Training Conference (NINAETC)
2013, 2014, and 2015 NICWA’s National American Indian Conferences on Child Abuse and Neglect
2015 National Tribal Child Support Association Conference (NTCSA)
2012 and 2013 United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) Annual Meetings
2012 and 2013 TribalNet Conferences
2013 Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) Convention

Casey has over 15 years of experience identifying barriers to evaluating and implementing complex software solutions for social service organizations. Past conference workshop topics have included engaging membership through technology, the White Earth Nation WE CARE service delivery model, and best practices for enterprise-wide software implementations.

Looking for a speaker on topics of Tribes and technology? Casey is available to present at conferences or trainings on a wide variety of topics including enterprise-wide software implementations, systems-of-care, case management models, and integrating data, among others.

Scotts Valley Tribal TANF Partners with Handel for New Tribal TANF System

January 11, 2017/in Handel News, News, TANF Reporting, Tribal Government, Tribal TANF/by Tiffany Edmonds

The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians Tribal TANF Program went live on a new RiteTrack TANF system on January 30, 2017. The Program contracted with Handel for the new system in November of 2016 and the fast execution of the contract speaks to Handel’s ability to quickly implement an enterprise-level information management system that manages a large amount of tribal TANF cases for multiple counties.

Their new RiteTrack Tribal TANF solution contains functionality specific to California Tribal TANF requirements, and Handel completed a data conversion for the program as well. Handel has standard data conversion tools and uses these when possible to convert existing data from legacy systems.

The Scotts Valley Tribal TANF Program and Handel enjoy a close working relationship, which contributes to creating the best possible solution for the Program and helping it better serve its clients.

The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians is the Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) designated social services provider for Contra Costa County and provides assistance under the Tribal TANF program to all eligible Native American Families residing in the county. The Program also serves enrolled members of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians who reside in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino Counties and Big Valley Tribal Members residing on and off Big Valley Rancheria.

The mission of Scotts Valley Tribal TANF program is to provide culturally relevant social services with the goal of encouraging the formation and maintenance of healthy and self-sufficient Native American families, supporting the preservation of two-parent households, inspiring individual growth, and preserving positive cultural traditions within our Native American Communities.

Handel specializes in creating the best possible software solutions for American Indian service agencies. RiteTrack is software for tribal, state and county government. RiteTrack serves tribal nations throughout the country in nearly every tribal department. With the experience and accountability that Handel offers, RiteTrack is the trusted information solution that tribal social services can rely on.

Handel Relay Team Completes the 2016 Wild West Relay

August 10, 2016/in Handel News, News/by Even Brande

Under the leadership of Casey Bader, employees from Handel, augmented by friends and family, formed another 12 person running team. Team Wyoming Endorfiends ran the 200 miles from Fort Collins, via Wyoming, to Steamboat, Colorado. Starting at 5:20 AM the morning of Friday, August 5th, the team finished in Steamboat about 32 hours later on Saturday afternoon.

This is the 6th time since we first did this in 2006 that Handel has formed a relay team. I find it to be a truly rewarding experience in so many ways, physically, beautiful scenery, social, and team building. Here is a video commemorating this year’s event.

Handel Featured on Wyoming Public Media

December 9, 2014/in Handel News/by Even Brande

Handel’s Data Center Provider, Greenhouse Data, Hosts Grand Opening of New Data Center

July 14, 2014/in Handel News/by Even Brande