The Importance of Performance Measures (from Safe Passage for Children)

KARA reportingMike TikkanenMay 6, 2016

Republished from the Kids at Risk Action archive as written. No images from the original corpus appear in any form.


From Safe Passage for Children today;We often emphasize the importance of measuring outcomes for children. But performance measures are important too. They tell us current information about program operations.The metrics currently on the Department of Human Services’ Dashboard Report don’t cover enough parts of the system to give a well-rounded picture.However a state committee is considering additional measures to show, by county, the number and percentage of:– Maltreatment reports screened out (not responded to)– Reports screened in but assigned to the less rigorous Family Assessment program instead of being investigatedWe hope they also add the number of times:– Individual children were reported– Families were diverted to Family Assessment without an investigationThese measures will improve the public’s ability to understand how well the system is functioning and to hold it more accountable.Join the Discussion

From Safe Passage for Children today;We often emphasize the importance of measuring outcomes for children. But performance measures are important too. They tell us current information about program operations.The metrics currently on the Department of Human Services’ Dashboard Report don’t cover enough parts of the system to give a well-rounded picture.However a state committee is considering additional measures to show, by county, the number and percentage of:– Maltreatment reports screened out (not responded to)– Reports screened in but assigned to the less rigorous Family Assessment program instead of being investigatedWe hope they also add the number of times:– Individual children were reported– Families were diverted to Family Assessment without an investigationThese measures will improve the public’s ability to understand how well the system is functioning and to hold it more accountable.Join the Discussion