Case managers and social workers are the stars of any workforce services program. Their expertise and dedication are what lead program participants to find or rediscover meaningful skills and employment.
Dedicated staff can help participants “feel like more than a case ID,” as we often say at SaraWorks. However, there are more applicants and enrolled program participants than there are case managers and social workers to serve them, and the cases are as dynamic as the labor market they’re working within:
Agency staff are expected to provide intensive services while chasing supporting documentation and recording quantifiable outcomes for large caseloads — from application to active participation and co-enrollment to 12 months post-exit.
Let’s look at some common challenges case managers and social workers from Adult and Dislocated Worker, Youth, and Unemployment (among others) face along with solutions we’ve identified to offset the burden and get service back on track.
Flip your reporting narrative: A proactive approach to documentation that lets everyone focus on their specialties
Workforce program participants don’t need to know about October — WIOA’s deadline for reporting. They need to know about job interview dates and paydays. But for each prospective and active participant, a caseworker has multiple case management (CMS) entries, calendar reminders and even offline notes. This documentation — formalized as such or not — is an attempt to keep each case tracking forward toward the next milestone. The key to tracking a caseload forward toward a successful outcome, of course, is the ability to be proactive in the meantime. In reality, social workers and case managers only have so many hours in a workday to dedicate to outreach and compliance documentation.
How we help throughout the participant’s journey
Agencies that use Sara leverage the client communication software to proactively collect documents timed to participants’ internal deadlines. Staff can schedule messages and time-released follow-ups to participants in the background while tending to appointments, calls and other tasks — their specialties. This delegation and streamlined mode of document requesting helps staff efficiently gather and record all the required documents needed throughout the participant’s workforce journey:
- New applications
- Proofs of address
- Employment history
- Resume building
- Job search logs
- Class schedules
- Grades
- Certifications
- Paystubs for resulting work
- Post-exit surveys
Sara can also serve as a background scheduler (and rescheduler) for appointments. And since program eligibility can trigger co-enrollment options, Sara can help Work Center staff, automatically.
Example: If a participant who was part of a mass layoff proves eligible for short-term Reemployment and Training assistance, Sara can proactively launch outreach to collect receipts for any supplies the participant might have received assistance for. Each proactive request, micro-interaction, and document gathered without detracting from a staff member’s limited bandwidth contributes toward more internal milestones reached.
With Sara, all of the above digital communication is stored in a single, central place, producing case notes by default. This lifts an additional burden off of an agency staff’s shoulders.
How we help with Unemployment tracking
The focus on unemployment has grown in recent years due to increased funding and enrollment (largely due to COVID-19) and corresponding scrutiny over eligibility and participant abuses. This includes individuals and employers who’ve taken advantage of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). The picture is murky and often requires staff to look backward while also moving forward.
Through more thorough, timely documentation-gathering and automated case note recording, Sara can help Workforce staff better track participant eligibility — both ensuring that eligible participants are informed of eligibility and that the integrity of the program is upheld. This workflow also ensures a higher standard for reporting for future reference.
How we help with Youth participant engagement
There’s no way around it: Youth participants (aged 16-24) prefer texts and non-verbal digital communication to phone calls and emails (though many Millennials and participants from other age groups prefer text as well). To create better pathways from high school to traditional college alternatives such as internships, apprenticeships, and job shadowing opportunities, Workforce staff need the right technology for their audience. Sara provides two-way texting, logged automatically as case notes, that helps them get results.
Industry insight: South Carolina has rolled out limited incentive-based training funds for Youth who earn a GED.
How we help improve job matching within the Employer Network
Agency staff can leverage Sara’s HIPAA-compliant Virtual Appointments as a platform for introducing program participants to potential employers, mediated by case worker, and documented within a state-sanctioned environment. This can contribute toward better job matching across the caseload.
How we help with provider collaboration and renewal decisions
Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) and other state-contracted agencies can leverage Sara to proactively solicit feedback from the State. In turn, the State can better assess agency performance, providing evidence to support future decisions on contract renewals. Agency staff can also use Sara to send Employer surveys to confirm contact information is up to date and gather other service-related feedback.
Ultimately, there are significant hurdles for Workforce staff in managing the effort needed to track participants toward successful outcomes. With Sara, there are significant and quantifiable gains to be made throughout the participant’s journey, regardless of agency or program focus.
“Sara has not only simplified the tracking process for staff, but also increased the likelihood of positive outcomes while providing evidence of attempts in cases where individuals could not be reached.” -Mary Deitz, Employment & Training Tech Unit Manager, Alaska Department of Labour and Workforce Development Division of Employment and Training Services
