Linking provider payments to performance measures is gaining popularity as a way to improve outcomes, efficiency and innovations. Three performance-based contracting models have been implemented in Allegheny County, targeting: 1) the Senior Center network; 2) child welfare providers; and 3) DHS-funded providers of the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative. Each focuses on service-related outcomes and offers fiscal incentives for improvement.
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) worked with Adult Probation to conduct a cost–benefit analysis of Day Reporting Centers (DRC) for offenders who have re-entered the community. The analysis examined three groups of offenders (low-risk, medium-risk and high-risk) participating in employment search and community services at the DRCs from March 2011 through January 2013 and compared them to matched control groups of offenders supervised through a traditional field office. When examining re-offending, medium-to-high-risk participants in the DRC had much lower rates of re-booking and convicted violations than the control groups, while low-risk offenders had relatively similar rates to the control group. This result supports the research literature that states that more intense supervision of low-risk offenders does not yield positive benefits.
An increased focus on school attendance has led to the implementation of a number of strategies designed to reduce absenteeism and its related impact on academic outcomes. The implications of chronic absenteeism are particularly relevant for students involved in human services, who account for a disproportionate number of chronically absent students.
This brief addresses the impact of absenteeism on students and describes the various local efforts to improve school attendance.
From 2000 to 2012, Allegheny County Jail bookings decreased by approximately one-third. Arrests are the principal contributor to the number of bookings over time, but the number of arrests that result in a booking decreased over time due to changes in judicial procedure regarding arrests for Driving under the Influence (DUI) and use of a validated risk-assessment instrument to facilitate pre-trial release decisions.
The decrease in bookings was accompanied by an increase in jail-bed days used. Categorizing bookings into Length-of-Stay groups revealed that reductions in bookings from 2000 to 2011 were specific to stays of two days or less. The increase in jail-bed days used was impacted most significantly by an increased number of bookings for stays of one month or greater. The report also examines inmates’ human service involvement and residence prior to booking.
Permanency Roundtables are an important component of Allegheny County’s strategy to improve permanency outcomes for children in child welfare out-of-home placements. Roundtables engage practitioners, caseworkers, providers and permanency experts in an intense two-hour brainstorming session in which barriers to permanency are identified along with strategies to address those barriers. The creativity of the collaborative process – in which no blame is assigned and no idea is off the table – can be particularly effective for children and families with complex issues that interfere with permanency goals.
Inua Ubuntu, designed to provide culturally-based intervention with a goal of reducing the rate of out-of-home placement for African American males, was implemented by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services in 2010. The program is based on an African-centric concept of family and community, and is driven by the theory that services are most effective when delivered by those who understand – and are a part of – the family’s culture and community.
An initial assessment is often a client’s first service experience, and, as such, it plays a major role in the perception, comfort and outcomes of the service. Simultaneously, the assessment can set the tone for the eventual outcomes of the This report describes the process of adapting and/or developing common assessments for use in Allegheny County, the implementation process, and the impact on consumer engagement and service delivery.
When its largest provider of Home -Delivered Meals (HDM) suddenly decided to discontinue its service, the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) had just weeks to ensure that 800 frail and disabled adults would continue to get the meals they depended upon. Partnering with six providers, AAA seized the opportunity to reshape the HDM program. By dividing the county into four geographic regions, increasing efficiencies with equipment and staffing, utilizing technology to improve routes and enabling drivers to send alerts should they observe a change in a consumer’s health or well-being, a better and more prevention-focused program resulted.
The Allegheny County Pretrial Services Department works behind the scenes to provide information and make recommendations to judges who have to make rapid and critical decisions at Motions Court almost every day of the week. Created in 2007 by combining the bail agency and three other programs that work with defendants prior to trial, Pretrial Services has become a national model for how to handle pretrial decision-making in a more consistent and equitable way. This report describes how the Pretrial Service Department was created, how it functions, and the impact it has had on reducing unnecessary arraignment delays and jail stays.
This report was prepared in response to concerns about high levels of street violence, particularly in certain areas of the county, and to support the joint efforts of the Allegheny County Criminal Justice Advisory Board and the Allegheny County Executive’s Public Health Commission on Preventing Violence and Promoting Community Health. It is the result of interviews with more than 50 practitioners; reviews of local, state and national programs; research on the roots of violence and evidence-based practices that have been effective in combating street violence; and discussions with noted experts in the field of criminal and juvenile justice. It presents recommendations of specific, proven strategies that can reduce street violence in Allegheny County within one to five years.
Click here to read the full report.
An Executive Summary is also available.
Designed to inform local leaders, this report places the issue of homeless youth within a national context and provides information about local need, services and strategies to prevent and address homelessness among Allegheny County’s young adults.
The high percentage of inmates with mental health and/or substance use issues presents significant challenges to the correctional system. Untreated behavioral health issues contribute to higher rates of recidivism as well as a myriad of other barriers to successful community re-entry. To begin to address these challenges, the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative convened a workgroup to review behavioral health services available in the Allegheny County Jail, identify gaps and challenges, and create “maps” of the service navigation process.
DHS analyzed data and conducted interviews about the services provided and outcomes achieved by two Allegheny County truancy prevention programs. This report details those activities and provides information about ways in which truancy prevention and intervention efforts could be improved.
The ACHIEVE after-school program evolved from DHS’s data-sharing agreement with the Pittsburgh Public Schools and was designed as an intervention for under-performing middle school students who were also involved in human services. ACHIEVE ran for two years and had inconsistent results. Overall, it did not result in improved school performance for the participating students. This brief describes the program and the results, including the challenges faced and lessons learned.
Community-based Day Reporting Centers have changed the way that offenders on probation are managed in Allegheny County. Centers focus on rehabilitation, offering a one-stop shop of services designed to support successful community re-entry. After being categorized according to their likelihood of re-offending, offenders are either assigned to an administrative caseload (low-risk offenders) or provided a needs assessment that results in an individualized case plan.
Initially faced with challenges such as community concerns and probation officer adjustment, the Day Reporting Centers have been positively received and can point to a number of successes including lower re-booking rates for medium- and high-risk offenders.
Click here to read the full report.
Prepared by: Bruce Barron