Client
Ohio Network of Children's Advocacy Centers (ONCAC)
Client Profile
ONCAC is a non-profit whose objective is to provide support, education, training and networking opportunities to Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs) and Children's Advocacy Centers in Ohio, and is funded by grants and donations. It has provided Network Ninja's Case Tracking System as an added value to its member organizations, and will use it to make tangible its profound positive impact to the community.
Issues Prompting a Change
Previous to the implementation of Network Ninja's Case Tracking System for CACs (CTS for CACs), there was no centralized or standardized software solution for the tracking of child abuse cases. If there was anything in place at individual CACs, it was generally created and maintained by am ambitious social worker using inadequate technologies. Electronic communication and tracking by MDTs, even at a single location, was all but impossible.
Reports took weeks to compile, and weekly case review meetings took days just to prepare for.
Information was simply not recorded reliably, it could not be accessed in a timely manner, and it was extremely time consuming, if even possible, to compile any useful statistics. Aggregate statewide data was not available.
Process
NNI needed to deliver a product to ONCAC that adhered to their standards while being 'custom-fit' enough to conform to the individual requirements of 13 CACs. This undertaking required very organized methods of communication that would maintain detailed records while not being overwhelming for participants.
Initial steps taken included setting up a blog where daily happenings were recorded, meetings were scheduled, documentation was distributed, and surveys or investigative documents to be filled out by the client were posted. Via weekly broadcast mailings and regular conference calls, everyone was kept aware of current and predicted status.
While electronic means are useful in that they are concise and offer a paper trail for follow-up information retrieval, meeting in person with the centers individually was priceless. In-person meetings happened before, during, and during the wrapping-up phase of the project.
Benefits
- Standardized solution that can be customized for individual centers while still allowing for statewide aggregate reporting and seamless communication throughout
- Costs for further enhancements and feature add-ons can be disseminated in a cost-effective manner for all. Generally CACs will have similar needs, and can distribute the cost accordingly
- New Centers can be added within minutes by the client; administration is a breeze
- Time required to enter, maintain, and extract data is cut down to a mere fraction. Real-time information, be it aggregate, or basic ad-hoc reporting, is available within seconds
- Secure remote access, regardless of location, via web interface
- Rapid and affordable deployment
- Server administration and maintenance is handled by Network Ninja remotely, removing the need for any extra staff or related expense
ONCAC and Network Ninja's cooperation on this project has been proven successful by the dozens of organizations and hundreds of staff that directly benefit from its use, and most importantly by the impact it has on the children and families themselves.