TANF Reporting Archives

Analyzing and Reporting on Tribal Program Data

June 27, 2019/in Adoption, Adult Protective Services, Child Protective Services, Domestic Violence, Employment and Training, Enrollment, Foster Care, Indian Child Welfare, TANF Reporting, Tribal Court, Tribal Government, Tribal TANF, Tribal Treatment Services/by Tiffany Edmonds

If you didn’t have a chance to catch the webcast live, you can register to view a recording here.

In today’s world we have more data available to than ever before. Yet, few organizations truly understand how to harness this data and turn it into information and knowledge. During this webcast, we will define and explore how data analytics transforms data into meaningful information. We will also examine how Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) can be applied to inform and improve services for families and children.

We examined the increase in the amount of data being stored over the last decades and the trajectory of the rise of data in our lives today. Even with data all around us it may not be collected accurately or in a consistent manner. Analytics and CQI depend upon quality data, and it is essential that leadership supports the collection and use of data with a sense of purpose and a vision of goals and benchmarks to measure. We will discuss reporting and information systems which may be used to collect data, as well as other sources of information available from Federal and State governments.

So how can Tribes make use of this practical information?

Using analytics changes this abundance of data into digestible information that can be used for many meaningful purposes. Comparative spreadsheets with raw data are one of the simplest ways of modeling data. Taking raw data and creating charts and graphs to provide useful visual methods of viewing and analyzing data and can be achieved with commonly used programs.

During this part of the process is where you create descriptive information using the data, then predictive intelligence, which leads to prescriptive knowledge that can be used to inform decisions and changes to improve services and outcomes. The philosophy of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) can be used to both ensure that data is accurately and consistently collected and as a method to analyze and react to the data. We will review in detail the cycle of CQI.

Register to watch here and email or call us with any questions.

Tribal Enrollment and Membership Management Software

April 1, 2019/in Adoption, Adult Protective Services, Child Protective Services, Domestic Violence, Employment and Training, Enrollment, Foster Care, Indian Child Welfare, TANF Reporting, Tribal Court, Tribal Government, Tribal TANF, Tribal Treatment Services/by Tiffany Edmonds

The RiteTrack Enrollment Module provides a web-based, secure means of managing and reporting on the demographics and enrollment statistics of your citizens. From blood quantum calculations to tribal ID cards, RiteTrack manages tribal enrollment from start to determination and beyond.

During this webcast we reviewed:

Demographics and Contact Information
Family Tree Diagram
Enrollment Process and Automatic Calculations
Tribal ID Cards and CDIB
Demographic Reporting

The customizable platform and unrivaled customer support are certain to benefit any Tribe’s Enrollment Department with its powerful functionality, intuitive interface, and project management availability.

This module also serves as the foundation for other tribal services.

Register to watch today and email or call us if you have any questions or would like further information.

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.

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.

Reaching Your Clients: The Importance of Address Verification

January 5, 2015/in Child Protective Services, Enrollment, Indian Child Welfare, Juvenile Detention, Juvenile Facilities, Juvenile Justice, TANF Reporting, Training, Tribal Court, Tribal Government, Tribal TANF, Tribal Treatment Services/by Tiffany Edmonds

Often one of the most frustrating experiences a user of enterprise software can have is the inability to track address information in a consistent and reliable way. This arises mostly due to the fact that most software systems don’t verify address information, which leaves the formatting of an address up to each individual user. This “free form” system of entering data can seem to make a system more flexible, but in reality it creates a large amount of unusable data.

To provide an illustration, below are some examples of the issues that we have run into in our data conversions when organizations upgrade to RiteTrack:

Incomplete, invalid, or missing zip codes
Street address with no street name
Descriptive text that is not an address such as ‘Incarcerated’, ‘Unknown’, or, my personal favorite, ‘I Do Not Know’

All of these issues lead to one common problem; addresses in most databases cannot be readily trusted to be accurate. During data conversions from legacy systems to RiteTrack, we often identify that up to 50% of addresses that were entered into an outdated system are incomplete, inaccurate, or not even an address. Luckily, there is one common solution to solve this problem. That answer is address verification.

RiteTrack utilizes the power of Google Maps to verify addresses, help complete missing information, and keep consistent formatting in the addresses that users track. This single solution, using Google’s API, leads to more accurate reporting, reduced data entry time, and, most importantly, a database that can be trusted.

What is more, by using Google Maps, RiteTrack also can provide all of the advanced functionality that users have come to expect from technology in other areas of their lives. If a person’s personal cell phone can provide them directions to their destination, then surely an enterprise software solution should be able to. Sadly, most systems don’t. When we developed RiteTrack we set out to change that. Below are a series of screenshots to show how easy it is to use our advanced address functionality to provide an unprecedented user experience.

Even with a poorly formatted address, as seen below, RiteTrack is able to make suggestions about the addresses that closely match a search.

Using the incomplete and poorly formatted address above, RiteTrack identifies potential addresses that have been verified as actually existing.

With a single click of a button a user can select the correct address, which will also be correctly formatted automatically for users. The data validation that was once was impossible in older systems takes two clicks in RiteTrack.

What is more, with a single click RiteTrack can access a Google Maps search of the address in a separate browser tab and users instantly have access to the power and functionality of Google’s software. No retyping the address; no copy and paste; it just works.

By being able to access Google Maps from inside of RiteTrack, users can not only view a map and a street view of a location, but can also get directions there, export those directions to their smart phones and other devices, or use any of Google’s other functionality. The power that users have come to expect from their personal devices can now also be brought to their offices. Handel believes that if your smart phone can do it, your enterprise software should as well.

Analyzing and Reporting on Tribal Program Data

Tribal Enrollment and Membership Management Software

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

Reaching Your Clients: The Importance of Address Verification

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