Success Stories

Stewards of Change Consulting planned and led a one-year project to develop a 10-year Interoperability Action Plan for the California Health and Human Services Agency. The goal of this work, formally known as the State Systems Interoperability and Implementation Project, was to provide an actionable roadmap for improving data-sharing and interoperability across all programs within CHHSA.

The project team worked closely with state and county stakeholders to conduct extensive research about: the current management information and technology landscape; new data-sharing efforts; organizational change-management requirements; confidentiality and legal barriers; and opportunities to enhance overall interoperability while not compromising the state’s information technology policies and processes. The project was funded as one of seven demonstration grants by the federal Administration for Children and Families/DHHS and the Office of Management and Budget. This work began in 2013 and its implementation continues into today, with California officials reporting that significant, ongoing progress is being made across the state as a consequence of SOCC’s efforts.

The key project deliverable was the development of the California Interoperability Roadmap (CIR). It provided a comprehensive, practical approach for advancing the state’s agenda to design, build, implement and maintain solutions that provide coordinated services to clients in the most efficient and effective manner across the CHHSA enterprise. To guide the plan’s development, the project team used the SOCC Human Services 2.0 methodology, which identifies 10 change drivers that are essential for building interoperability in jurisdictions.

Since helping to produce the CIR, Stewards of Change personnel have continued to provide consultation and other services on a variety of initiatives in California, including regional and statewide symposia, support to design and build the state’s Open Data Portal, and approaches for better managing the administration of psychotropic medication for children in foster care.