Child Welfare Case Management

This complex California child welfare system is redesigning their case management software. With a build team that reaches across state and county public agencies and multiple private vendors, CWDS is also complex work environment.

This engagement spanned over the course of 3 years, 2018-2021.

Year 1: accessible design

The focus was on building an accessible, global design system for the custom case management program. Working closely with a development team, I contributed to the core design system.

year 2: research, product + Service design

The project changed directions and is now using SaaS to build the case management platform. This necessitated shifting gears from active product design to service design, change management and product research. With this massive change, the project paused product development, providing an ideal time to shore up project management tools.

To ensure knowledge transfer, we initiated the creation of a robust online project knowledge repository. This repository organized the existing 10+ years of research, provided a collaborative space for product owners to share knowledge & track progress. Year two required the development of templates and training materials for product owners and fellow researchers. Templates to document process flows, end user groups and to facilitate discussions were built and used to document over 30 Child Welfare business processes. Novice product owners received training on leading end user research and using these templates.

year 3: advisory board member

The principal responsibility was to assess the CWDS project development and share findings with the the oversight committees, including the board of governors and HHS. This year presented opportunities to improve communication between teams and to further center children, families and anti-racist, inclusive principles at this product’s core.