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| Paving the way for change |
The California Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS) is coming; there is no denying! With new technology, change becomes inevitable and no business is immune. Naturally, the typical tendency is to retreat because of fear. In order to help minimize fear, it helps to be in the know, be part of the decision-making process and to confront changes head on.
To this end, Mayra Traughber and I represented Santa Barbara County on the CalSAWS Functional Design Session held in Norwalk for about four weeks. (See some photos here). Read on to learn more.
Our task was to review the forms that CalSAWS pulled from LRS, C-IV, and the CalWIN system, that had a high volume of usage. We also reviewed SB County forms that are in the intranet to make sure the new/replacement forms had the verbiage needed for our county.
The goal was to have one form that all counties could use in the new CalSAWS system. The forms were considered in the following order: first LRS, second C-IV, and third CalWIN. If the form was not in these systems then we 1) either designed a new one or 2) used one from another county (we voted for the one that met the needs of all counties). We successfully made a case to keep three Santa Barbara County forms.
The project was a gratifying experience! We were able to access all the information we needed to help with our decision making process via the intranet. We found that our county has established written processes on almost every topic, whereas other counties did not. A special recognition is in order for our Department Business Specialists for their exceptional work in this area! Thank you also to our leadership team for giving us the opportunity to stay in the forefront of this change. I would encourage everyone to participate in future CalSAWS project if given the opportunity.