Clients

Since 1988, HZA has provided evaluation and consulting services to public and private organizations in over 30 states.  A sample of clients, by state, is provided below.  Please select a state from the map or scroll through the list.

 

 

 

 

Alabama  [return to top]

Alabama Department of Human Resources: Developed a rate setting system for children in residential care in an effort to increase future federal dollars claimed under Title IV-E and recover prior state expenditures which are eligible for Federal funding.

 

Alaska  [return to top]

Alaska Court System: Conducted a process and outcome evaluation for two local mental health courts responsible for handling cases of persons with mental illness who are charged with misdemeanor crimes.

Alaska Department of Social and Health Services, Office of Children's Services: Conducted a study of the workload of Office of Children’s Services staff to determine whether the agency has adequate staffing to meet the service demand.

Alaska Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Public Assistance: Conducted a workload study involving core public assistance and direct service workers to measure the work burden and tasks performed by each.

Alaska Department of Corrections, Division of Administrative Services: Conducted a two-year study of Mental Health Trust beneficiaries to define service needs; identify those who might be appropriately diverted from the correctional system; and identify evidence-based programs with the potential to achieve appropriate diversion and reduce recidivism.

 

Arizona  [return to top]
Burch and Cracchiola, P.A.: Served as consultants to the State of Arizona in a class action suit alleging that the Department of Economic Security exposed children placed in foster care to risk of sexual abuse.
Arizona Department of Economic Security: Redesigned the child welfare system in Arizona through the review and restructuring of child protective laws, policies, practices and staff training.
Arizona Department of Economic Security: Conducted a review 4,152 child records in an effort to determine the extent to which children in the Division’s care were living in safe environments. 
 
Arkansas  [return to top]

Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Children and Family Services: Performing all quality assurance activities for the Division’s programs, including outcome measurement, contract monitoring and special studies.

 
California  [return to top]

California Department of Education, Child Development Division: Created of a set of process standards designed to promote the achievement of “Desired Results” for child care resource and referral agencies and alternative payment programs.

 
Colorado  [return to top]

Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Child Welfare Services: Conducted an evaluation of the Intensive Family Preservation Program for Juvenile Offenders to determine the efficacy of using Intensive Family Preservation services for children who had been adjudicated or convicted of criminal offenses.

Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Healthcare Policy: Performed a workload study to measure the workloads carried by county staff performing Medicaid eligibility determinations, including six programs and their sub-parts.

 

Connecticut  [return to top]
Connecticut Judicial Branch: Conducted a service needs study for 16 and 17 year-old court-involved youth.
Connecticut Department of Children and Families: Conducting a comprehensive assessment of systems and services designed to meet the needs of physically and sexually abused children.

Developed a methodology, designed to provide an unbiased view of the child welfare needs of the state, for a needs assessment required by the Juan F. consent decree.

 

Delaware  [return to top]
Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families: Performed a cost benefit study of alternatives to incarceration, which permitted the tracking of youth from the juvenile justice system into the adult correctional system.

 

District of Columbia  [return to top]

National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association: Conducted an examination of the membership base and products and services provided to members; evaluated the needs of current members; identified other potential membership bases; and developed a marketing plan for the organization's future development.

Child Welfare League of America: Conducted an organizational review the Child Welfare League of America's regional office structure to address the question of how the agency could best organize itself to support its member agencies while growing the organization nationally.

 
Florida  [return to top]

Florida Department of Children and Families: Performing an evaluation of the intake and assessment activities of intake counselors at the Florida Abuse Hotline.  Evaluation activities have been expanded to include conduct of similar work for the Hotline’s Criminal Investigation Unit activities.  

 

Providing a comprehensive ongoing package of training for Call Center staff and Crime Intelligence Unit staff at the Florida Abuse Hotline.

 

Georgia  [return to top]

Georgia Department of Human Resources: Conducted a needs assessment of children in foster care to identify placement and prevention service needs.

Conducted an assessment of the potential for increasing Title IV-E recovery for children in foster care.   

 

Illinois  [return to top]
Maine Medical Center and Illinois Department of Mental Health: Conducted an evaluation of Maine Medical Center's dissemination of the family psychoeducation approach to mental health services.
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services: Conducted a “Front End Redesign” to ensure that services were delivered to families in child protective reports in a timely manner and assure continuity of workers and services as a family moves through the system. 

 

Iowa  [return to top]
The Higher Plain, Inc.: Designed and implemented an evaluation for a federally-funded demonstration program aimed at assuring that all children and adolescents in Washington County, Iowa have access to mental health services.
Iowa Department of Human Services: Conducted an analysis of the Department’s child care rate setting and information systems and proposed mechanisms for enhancing federal funding of child care expenditures.
The Higher Plain, Inc.: Conducted an evaluation of the Parent Resource Center to improve student educational outcomes and parent efficacy.

 

Kansas  [return to top]

Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services: Conducted a study to determine whether Kansas’ risk assessment tools are sufficiently valid and reliable to guide casework decisions.

 

Louisiana  [return to top]
Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Office of Youth Development: Conducted study of Louisiana’s classification systems for adjudicated females to bring about changes that would make juvenile justice operations and policies more responsive to the unique needs of girls.
Louisiana Department of Social Services:  Developed and implemented a rate setting system for Office of Children Services residential and foster home providers.

 

Maine  [return to top]

Bucksport Bay Healthy Communities Coalition: Performing an evaluation of the Working on Wellness and Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol programs.

Co-occurring Collaborative of Southern Maine: Conducted a multi-year evaluation of an integrated services approach for people with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health problems.

The Greater Waterville Prevention Coalition: Performing an evaluation of the Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol program, Coalition Development and Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey data to be used in conjunction with the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program evaluation conducted under the Drug Free Communities project. 

Maine Judicial Branch, Administrative Office of the Courts: Conducted an assessment of Maine’s courts to determine the effectiveness of a newly-implemented case management procedure in the courts and whether use of mediation in one of its district courts has been an effective tool. 

Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Adult Mental Health Services: Conducted an evaluation including an inventory and analysis of Adult Mental Health Crisis Services in Maine.

Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control: Conducting a comprehensive process and outcome evaluation of services designed to enhance parenting skills and prevent child abuse and neglect for new mothers.

Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Behavioral Health Services: Conducting an evaluation of the Trauma-informed Systems of Care project in an effort to build an infrastructure and implement an integrated system of care for children ages birth through eighteen with serious emotional disturbances who have experienced trauma.

Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Substance Abuse:

Performing a multi-year evaluation of an initiative to institute changes in services offered to individuals across the state of Maine who experience psychiatric and alcohol or drug-related co-occurring disorders.

Conducting an evaluation of Maine’s Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant in an effort to reduce substance abuse, reduce risk factors and consequences with a demonstrated link to substance abuse, and reduce consumption and other health risk behaviors linked to substance abuse.

Conducting evaluation of six Maine colleges and universities’ initiative to reduce high-risk drinking among college students.

Maine General HealthReach Network: Performed an evaluation of the Pediatric Rapid Evaluation Program to determine the efficacy of PREP services, project service needs and assess what impact the program has on achieving the best interests of children in foster care.

Maine Health Access Foundation: Developed a plan for a comprehensive evaluation of this foundation’s initiative to integrate physical and behavioral health services.

Maine Medical Center: Conducting a process evaluation of a multi-year grant to address systems change and implement a model for youth in transition from the children’s mental health system to adulthood.

 

Massachusetts  [return to top]

Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services: Conducted an evaluation of the system of state subsidized child care administration and delivery to improve the efficacy, accountability and cost-effectiveness of the system.

 

Montana  [return to top]

Montana Department of Public and Health and Human Services:  Conducted a time study and workload analysis of child welfare caseworkers and licensing specialists to determine the need for increased staff by region. Conducted a follow-up evaluation of the regional staffing differences across the state as identified in the time study and workload analysis.

 

Nevada  [return to top]

Nevada Department of Human Resources, Division of Child and Family Services:

Established a Program Evaluation and Data Unit to perform data analysis and quality assurance activities for the Division.

Provided technical support to the Division throughout each phase of the Child and Family Services Review including the statewide assessment and on-site reviews.

Provided project management services to assist with the development of plans and procedures for the transfer of a child welfare services from the Division to Washoe and Clark Counties, and developed a Cost Allocation Plan reflective of those organizational changes.

Designed and operated a Data Analysis Unit which would allow the Division to develop an expertise in gathering, analyzing and using data; and improve their research and evaluation infrastructures.

 
New Jersey  [return to top]

New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Youth and Family Services:

Developed a new regulatory and policy framework which would implement A New Beginning: The Future of Child Welfare in New Jersey.

Performed a study of the Division of Youth and Family Services’ newly-implemented State Central Registry and conducted a follow-up quality assurance study to determine whether the people taking the calls and dispatching information to the field were operating within legal and best practice guidelines.

Conducted a Qualitative Services Review which helped the Division prepare for its Child and Family Services Review and provided critical information for the development of a statewide assessment.

 
New York  [return to top]

Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy: Conducted an analysis of data supplied by the State of New York Office of Children and Family Services to the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy for the annual report the Center drafted for the New York State Citizen Review Panels.

Westchester County Department of Social Services: Conducted a workload study of the Child Welfare Division.

 
North Carolina  [return to top]

North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts: Conducted an assessment of the courts’ role, responsibilities and effectiveness in cases involving the interstate placement of foster children.

 
Ohio  [return to top]

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Office of Children and Families: Conducted an evaluation of Ohio’s Family Risk Assessment Matrix, with particular focus on the utilization of the tool in the later stages of the case.

Served as Ohio’s quality assurance vendor for its adoption program that has a goal to continue to increase the number of adoptions of children in public custody.

Conducted a comprehensive needs assessment in response to a consent decree, Roe vs. Staples, quantifying the need for services designed to prevent placement and/or aid a child’s return home.

 
Oklahoma  [return to top]

Oklahoma Legislative Service Bureau: Conducting a performance audit of the state's Department of Human Services to assess its organizational structure for management and performance of its services programs, especially child welfare.

 
Oregon  [return to top]

Oregon Department of Human Services, Office of Information Services: Produced a comprehensive inventory of federal and state laws, regulations, agency policies, procedures and practice guidelines as well as those of local jurisdictions which govern the provision of child welfare in Oregon.

 
Pennsylvania  [return to top]

Dauphin County Department of Human Services: Provided assistance with an effort to consolidate information collected on clients from multiple agencies into a single computer program.

Erie County Office of Children and Youth: Conducted an organizational review of the Erie County Office of Children and Youth in light of the regulatory challenges and heightened family problems confronted by child welfare agencies. Developed and implemented a comprehensive quality assurance system by broadening the quality assurance effort identified in the organizational review to encompass a wider range of activities.

Monitored the program improvements identified in the Integrated County Services Plan and related them to the State's Program Improvement Plan and prepared the County for the next round of Federal Child and Family Service Reviews and Medicaid re-alignment.

Harborcreek Youth Services: Provided assistance in selecting an automated system which could track children and youth served and produce management reports; provided assistance throughout the implementation, installation and training phases of the selected system.

Pennsylvania Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers: Developed prototypes for the standard forms and reports for the State of Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Case Management System, a new automated system developed for juvenile probation and parole.

Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, Office of Children, Youth and Families:

Providing technical assistance, training and staff support in the development of mechanisms to improve and validate county and state data and the analysis of the AFCARS, NCANDS and CY-28 data. Create AFCARS longitudinal files and ad hoc reports, develop Quality Service Review reports and create data packages for each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

 

Providing training and technical assistance to the Office of Children, Youth and Families and county staff throughout the federal Child and Family Services Review.

Provided support to the Office of Children, Youth and Families in the management and monitoring of the Program Improvement Plan, with additional focus on monitoring the implementation of the counties' Needs-based Plans and Budgets.

Conducted an evaluation of the relationship between changes implemented in the planning and delivery of services encompassing the Family Group Decision-making principles and the results or outcomes achieved for children, youth and families.

 

Rhode Island  [return to top]
Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families: Developed a rate setting system to reimburse foster parents based on the special needs of their children.

 

South Carolina  [return to top]
South Carolina Department of Social Services: Conducted an evaluation of the Child Protective and Preventive Services programs, including identification of program strengths and weaknesses with special emphasis on the risk assessment system, the "Model for Casework Practice".

 

Utah  [return to top]
Utah Department of Human Services: Conducted an assessment of the practices for collecting federal reimbursements as performed by the Division of Child and Family Services.
 
Virginia  [return to top]

Virginia Department of Social Services: Conducted a workload management study involving all social services programs including Medicaid, child welfare, income maintenance, and adult services across local departments of social services.

 

Conducting an update to the original workload management study involving all social services programs from a sampling of 35 participating local departments of social services.

 
Washington  [return to top]

Washington Department of Social and Health Services, Children's Administration: Redesigned foster care rates for children in basic care and with special needs and assisted with the development of an automated system to assign rates based on the need.

Washington Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities: Modified and expand upon the  rate system developed for the Children's Administration (see above) to make it applicable to children receiving Voluntary Placement Program services.

 
Wisconsin  [return to top]

Wisconsin Supreme Court, State Courts Office: Conducted an evaluation involving the reassessment of the improvements in child welfare court procedures in Wisconsin.

Developing strategies to measure court initiatives to improve outcomes for children in the child welfare system.

Evaluated the courts effectiveness in the interstate placement of children and the engagement of stakeholders across state lines.

Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services: Developing a structure for an online policy manual and placing existing policies into a workflow order from its numbered memo system.

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