Juvenile Justice Archives - Page 7 of 11 - Handel Information Technologies

Getting the First Steps Right–Intakes and Risk Assessments

July 24, 2018/in Juvenile Facilities, Juvenile Justice /by Tracey Rosenlund

If you missed the live webcast, click here for a recording that looks at the specific intake and risk assessment functionality available in the RiteTrack juvenile justice system.

Every size of facility from 10 beds to 100 or more beds must follow the same first step when a youth arrives: completing an intake process.

Many facilities also require some type of risk assessment as part of this process.

During this recording–showcasing a system which was designed with the needs of juvenile facilities at its heart–you will see the functionality that assists juvenile organizations with intake processes no matter the size or caseload.

If intakes and risk assessments have incorrect information or are incomplete, it complicates the admission process creating extra work for staff and administrators alike.

The extensibility of the system enables organizations to complete risk assessments within the software’s interface and can generate an easily digestible summary of the assessment data.

We covered the following items:

Completing a new intake
Completing intake on a previously-admitted youth
Using customizable drop down menu options
Utilizing reporting to identify missing intake data
Accessing risk assessments through the interface
Reporting on intake and risk assessments data

An information and case management system such as this ensures data is accurately entered, easily accessible, and simply reported on.

Register to watch the recording here

Reducing Disproportionate Minority Contact Webinar Recording Available

May 17, 2018/in Juvenile Facilities, Juvenile Justice, Technology /by Tracey Rosenlund

If you were unable to attend the webcast about utilizing data collection to improve disproportionate minority contact (DMC) outcomes, you can register to watch the recording here.

DMC is an initiative that focuses on reducing the disproportionate arrests of minority youth having contact with the juvenile justice system.

The DMC standards address all areas of from first point-of-contact or first arrest through the continuum of juvenile justice to detention. This webinar will discuss contributing factors (including attitudes and beliefs) for DMC issues within communities.

But it leaves the question how can juvenile programs and facilities better address the issues?

One way is with reliable and consistent data collection.

After we review the DMC initiative, we share with you a software system that was developed specifically to track key data points for DMC needs including:

Race
Ethnicity
Offense
Gender
Geography (by zip code)

Register here to see how data collection, comprehensive reporting, and community collaboration are essential to developing a comprehensive plan of action to address DMC issues.

RiteTrack operates as the single point-of-entry and creates the first point-of-contact documentation, that can be used by alternative reporting centers, probation organizations, and juvenile detention facilities. Help shift the environment in your program by actively monitoring the standards and using that to create a plan of action to reduce DMC throughout your organization.

If you’d like to schedule a demonstration of RiteTrack, you can email Steve Koenig.

Technology Doesn’t Have to Be Intimidating Webinar Recording

April 20, 2018/in Juvenile Facilities, Juvenile Justice /by Tracey Rosenlund

Technology is involved in so many different aspects of our lives; however, some juvenile agencies may feel reluctant to adopt technology—even though it can be designed specifically to assist in fulfilling the responsibilities of these organizations and facilities.

Nonetheless, sometimes when introducing the topic of implementing a technology solution, there are often common subjects that arise, but that doesn’t mean it has to be intimidating.

Register here to watch the recording.

During this session we examined some practical steps to discussing the potential improvements from such a move, especially in relating these benefits to stakeholders that operate and make administrative decisions for juvenile agencies and facilities.

One way we reviewed was to ease into the topic is by illustrating the benefits of technology and how that technology can it improve outcomes, efficiency, and allow for a better overall understanding of how the facility is being managed.

After watching this recording, you can take away practical talking points to use to provide an improved viewpoint from which to evaluate examining technology.

One clear benefit to implementing a juvenile-specific technology system is that it uses regularly generated data to provide reliable information for decision-making.

To wrap up the webinar we discussed how systems like this generate data that provides stakeholders with necessary knowledge simply by reporting on the information generated from day-to-day operations.

Register to watch this recording to find practical steps any team can use to overcome resistance to examining technology solutions. We will also take your specific questions for tips during the session.

Fight Fire with Data: A Strategic Approach to Reduce the Challenges of Liability Webcast Recording Available

March 19, 2018/in Handel News, Juvenile Facilities, Juvenile Justice, News, Training /by Tracey Rosenlund

One of the most common and most troubling concerns administrators of juvenile facilities worry about is liability.

Where will the fire start, and will they be able to put it out? Will someone bring a lawsuit, and when? What will be the grounds?

Court battles can be lengthy and demand time administrators may not have to compile information that combats the claims.

As a former director of a facility I know lawsuits may stem from something the staff did or didn’t do, from something that happened to a youth in care, or from not being able to produce the information that proves policies and procedures are being followed.

Register and watch this 30-minute webinar where we examined, through the eyes of a former juvenile facility director, how a comprehensive juvenile software system reduces a facility’s liability risk.

We looked at key aspects in a comprehensive solution that address liability issues. The data collection functionality in the solution stores information on youth, staff, and staff actions. The information is entered through regular staff duties and interaction with youth in the facility. This way it provides up-to-date data for use in any lawsuit. The system also includes alerts to inform administrators of events, incidents, and outcomes in real-time.

RiteTrack produces data with statistical information from youth incident reports, room confinements, and restraints. It also has reporting features that provide insight on staff participation and actions for those events.

We’ll also examined continuity-of-care within the system that provides proof of notification and follow through for administrators, therapists, and medical departments.

Register for the webinar recording to see how a system like RiteTrack can help you squash fires before they become catastrophes. You will see first-hand a system that is designed to provide the data to reduce the demand administrators face to provide information for litigation. A system like this identifies and protects your facility from potential liability issues.

Multi-County Juvenile Detention Center Goes Live on New RiteTrack System

February 19, 2018/in Handel News, Juvenile Facilities, Juvenile Justice, News /by Tracey Rosenlund

In January of 2018, the Multi-County Juvenile Detention Center, a 48-bed juvenile facility located in Lancaster, Ohio implemented a new RiteTrack database system.

Photo: Jess Grimm/Eagle-Gazette

The facility’s old system was used for tracking intakes and youth demographics but could not provide them with critical information on staff workload, incidents, or shift logs. To obtain this information, the Director of the facility Dana Moore had to review the paperwork associated with each shift. “The only way I could find out about an incident report or a meeting with the social worker or nurse was if I received a paper copy of it or if someone came and told me about it,” she said. With the new system “I can see what is going on with youth simply by opening their file in RiteTrack.”

It was clear that the facility needed a new system. Moore wanted one that allowed them to see data in real-time as events unfolded. Staff and administrators preferred a solution with a simple interface that gave them easy access to what happened on previous shifts as well as current events on the youth. The new system should also provide real-time, reliable and valid data to use in the reporting to the Ohio Department of Youth Services and the governing board.

After a thorough investigation of offerings, the Multi-County Juvenile Detention Facility opted to implement RiteTrack. This new system provided staff and administrators with a focus on the intake process, incident reporting, social worker case notes, and nursing documentation. The powerful reporting capabilities in the new system has transformed mere data into useful information which in turn guides decision-making and even has the potential to direct policy-making. RiteTrack records activities from previous days and shifts and tracks current facility activities including daily shift assignments, staff call-offs, facility inspections, youth room confinement time, room confinement reason, incidents, youth location throughout the day, and offsite appointments.

With the engagement of Dana and her full staff, the implementation of RiteTrack into the Multi County Juvenile Detention Center has been a major success. “It’s always a pleasure to ease the workload of staff and witness the reduction in reams of paper,” said Jeanne Wolcott, Project Manager.

The initial success of the implementation has prompted further discussion of future projects which may include additional reporting needs, school billing capabilities, and signatures of youth and staff within RiteTrack. “It is so nice to have everything stored in one place, I don’t have to look through all these different binders to get information on a kid,” said Moore.

Handel creates RiteTrack, a web-based, centralized database, information management software that is used by juvenile justice agencies throughout the country. It provides the primary means for caseworkers, administrators and other professionals to manage their clients and caseloads and provides reliable reporting to generate reliable data.

Using A Holistic Approach in a Juvenile Facility’s Software System Recording Available

February 12, 2018/in Juvenile Facilities, Juvenile Justice /by Tracey Rosenlund

Every juvenile software system should help with important areas like intake processes and incident reporting. However, many existing juvenile software systems fail to deliver other needed functionality in important areas like groups notes, clinical documentation, and therapist notes.

RiteTrack delivers a holistic approach to juvenile treatment and care for the youth.

During this webinar we reviewed the importance of a software system that addresses the core needs of juvenile facilities and also emphasizes other important areas of treatment and care like the RiteTrack’s Juvenile Software System.

You can register and view this recording here.

We examined how the system uses a holistic view by incorporating functionality for:

Notes on groups
Individual treatment notes
Nursing & medical documentation
Youth’s personal inventory
Facility-issued materials
Supervision of staff
Staff training documentation

Register for this recording to see how a comprehensive juvenile facility software system incorporates a holistic approach to documentation and case management where the youth is central to the case.

Better Today than Yesterday: Improving JDAI Compliance and Reporting Recording Available

January 8, 2018/in Juvenile Facilities, Juvenile Justice, News, Technology /by Tracey Rosenlund

Are you looking to improve your juvenile facility’s compliance with JDAI standards?

During this webcast, we examined how RiteTrack’s juvenile facility solution can increase a facility’s capability to measure, track and report on its JDAI efforts. We also reviewed how JDAI communities can utilize such a system to analyze data and formulate questions related to JDAI information. Psst, the secret lies in documenting and tracking this in the daily case management functions.

You can register and view this recording here.

To provide access for JDAI partners, RiteTrack’s sophisticated web-based interface and industry-best security model ensures only the right people have access to appropriate and relevant information from any location. Including JDAI compliance, standards and reporting.

This comprehensive system provides the framework needed to help any facility adhere to evolving JDAI standards.

Key features in the system you can see during this recording include:

Tracking assessments
Tracking treatment plans & progress notes
Generating JDAI reports (daily population counts, quarterly reports, etc.)
Reporting on facility data
- Incidents
- Room confinements
- Restraints

RiteTrack’s JDAI reporting produces comprehensive reports for race, gender, age, and geography, as well as other requirements including daily population counts, quarterly reports, etc.

So, whether you are running a county detention facility or a JDAI community, RiteTrack supports an emphasis on treatment and rehabilitation, along with resident and facility management, and you can see how by watching our recording.

Webinar Recording for Managing a Juvenile Facility and Staff with RiteTrack

October 31, 2017/in Juvenile Facilities, Juvenile Justice, News /by Tracey Rosenlund

If you missed our webinar that explored the functionality in RiteTrack for managing staff at a juvenile facility, you can view the recording here.

Managing staff at a facility can be as difficult as managing the youth and their cases.

During this webcast, we examined the functionality that assists Directors in supervising and oversight of staff as well as provides management of the facility’s day-to-day operations.

The system helps supervisors ensure they are completing required follow-ups on incident reports, restraints, and seclusions in addition to necessary follow-ups for rooms checks, log notes and shift reports.

You can also see how it assures the facility is maintaining compliance with training certificates and personnel requirements with the use of an electronic personnel file.

The reporting capabilities show how RiteTrack produces statistics that identify where staff may need additional direction or highlight where they are excelling in their work.

Watch the recording.

Implementing and Monitoring PREA Standards with Ritetrack Webcast Recording Available

October 17, 2017/in Juvenile Facilities, Juvenile Justice /by Tracey Rosenlund

Our recent webinar focused on how a facility can use RiteTrack to support PREA standards in its programs. You can watch the recording here.

We examined how RiteTrack helps manage the complexities of the federally-mandated standards PREA standards with its functionality. During this webinar, a former Director of an Ohio Juvenile Facility, and one of the first Ohio Directors to successfully complete a juvenile PREA audit, illustrated how a specific implementation of RiteTrack supports PREA standards.

PREA standards require the use of risk assessments, PREA-related questions (e.g., sexual orientation, gender identification, etc.), agency documentation, and reporting to reach the outlined goals in the initiative. We will demonstrate those features in RiteTrack plus the following:

Client intakes
Progress notes
Risk assessments
Medical documentation
Room assignments
Staff training documentation
Outside agency documentation
Record keeping
Data generation
PREA reporting

Handel IT has implemented RiteTrack software in numerous juvenile facilities, juvenile detention and juvenile treatment facilities.

Watch the recording here.

Handel Information Technologies, Inc. Celebrates 20 Years in Business

September 20, 2017/in Handel News, Juvenile Justice, News, Tribal Government /by Tracey Rosenlund

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.