About Northwoods
We Understand.
We Care.
You Succeed.
At Northwoods, we help health and human services professionals spend less time behind screens and more time with people.
We design technology and provide services that remove administrative barriers and bolster outcomes. They reflect the real-world challenges of agency workers, supervisors, and leaders.
Our purpose is simple: Support the people who serve others. That means creating tools that build up workers, not overwhelm them. That also means crafting a company that genuinely lives its mission.
From our licensed social workers on staff to our commitment to giving back, we’re all in.
Explore what drives us: our purpose and people, the milestones we’ve hit, the impact we make.
Want a closer look at what inspires us? Watch this short video to see our mission in our own words.
Our Purpose
Elevate Humanity
We believe every person deserves care, dignity, and support—especially those who provide it. That’s why we’re here.
Our Mission
Fulfill our purpose 24/7 with every agency we serve.
We shape the future of health and human services work by innovating and implementing easy-to-use solutions. Agencies and their workers can focus on what matters most: the people in their care.
Our Values
Four values guide our team, tools, and partnerships.
We ask questions, explore new ideas, and never stop learning.
We support one another, you, and the people you help.
We care for Northwoods and protect its mission.
We get creative, stay flexible, and always find ways forward.
Our People
Real-world experience meets real-time assistance.
Day in and day out, health and human services workers support people. We support you with technology and services, and the same values driving your work inform our offerings.
Our team includes licensed social workers, former caseworkers, and agency leaders. They’ve felt it: the pressure of paperwork, the urgency of a crisis, the importance of connection. Their experiences inform what we provide—and ensure we never lose sight of the human side.
Here’s how we bring that insight to the solutions we build.
We Match Human Services Expertise With Diligent Design
We don’t rely on assumptions. We rely on experience.
Professionals who’ve worked inside agencies and know the industry’s daily realities engineer our solutions.
This lived knowledge determines how we design, implement, and evolve our software and services. We’re prepared to decrease friction and increase impact.
We Dig Deep To Understand Your Needs
We don’t guess at your challenges. We embed ourselves in your workflows.
Our teams observe, ask questions, and spot patterns to pinpoint where tools can help you most.
By combining field research with tech expertise, we forge solutions that feel custom-built for your agency—because they are.
We Work Hard, Have Fun, and Make a Difference
We believe mission-driven partners should support mission-driven work. Our teams collaborate across features and regions to unearth the most effective answers.
We know your work is serious—and we take it seriously, too. At the same time, we bring humor, heart, and humanity to every step of the journey.
We Match Human Services Expertise With Diligent Design
We don’t rely on assumptions. We rely on experience.
Professionals who’ve worked inside agencies and know the industry’s daily realities engineer our solutions.
This lived knowledge determines how we design, implement, and evolve our software and services. We’re prepared to decrease friction and increase impact.
We Dig Deep To Understand Your Needs
We don’t guess at your challenges. We embed ourselves in your workflows.
Our teams observe, ask questions, and spot patterns to pinpoint where tools can help you most.
By combining field research with tech expertise, we forge solutions that feel custom-built for your agency—because they are.
We Work Hard, Have Fun, and Make a Difference
We believe mission-driven partners should support mission-driven work. Our teams collaborate across features and regions to unearth the most effective answers.
We know your work is serious—and we take it seriously, too. At the same time, we bring humor, heart, and humanity to every step of the journey.
Staff can work from anywhere, anytime, and families can sign [forms] from anywhere, anytime.
— KATIE ELLERAAS, Business Relationship Manager, Scott County Health & Human Services, MN
It’s continuity and a familiar system that’s shared across many different units in different areas.
— BRIAN ESCH, Home and Community-Based Care Manager, Carver County Health & Human Services, MN
Any time you can give caseworkers more time with families, it helps with their morale and their balance. That ultimately
has a positive impact on the work we’re doing.
— JOE KELLERBY, Child Welfare Director, Mesa County Department of Human Services, CO
It takes worries away that you didn’t realize you were worrying about.
— RACHEL ROSCKES, Social Work Case Manager, Carver County Health & Human Services, MN
It feels like you understand the world of social work and how chaotic it can be, and you’re trying to find ways to really support us.”
— MICHELLE SELINGER, Child & Family Manager, Carver County Health & Human Services
Our Story
Purpose-built for health and human services, 22 years and counting.
Northwoods has focused on health and human services since 2003. We started with one goal: less paperwork, more peoplework. That focus hasn’t changed, but our offerings have grown.
We’ve expanded from document management into a full ecosystem of cloud-based software and support services. We still keep pace with you, learning what you need and building tools that adapt.
Northwoods was founded and provides electronic document management solutions.
Wood County Department of Job and Family Services in Ohio became our first customer in economic assistance, and we solidified or focus on human services.
Established more partnerships with agencies across Ohio, providing solutions for economic assistance and child support.
Implemented our solutions for economic assistance and child support for agencies in North Carolina and California.
Sold statewide child support solutions in Nevada and West Virginia, while beginning to implement county projects in Minnesota.
2003
Founded Northwoods and introduced electronic document management solutions focused on agency efficiency.
2004
Welcomed our first economic assistance customer, Wood County Job & Family Services (OH), and cemented our focus on health and human services.
2005
Expanded partnerships across Ohio to deliver solutions for economic assistance and child support programs.
2007
Implemented systems in North Carolina and California to support both economic assistance and child support.
2009
Deployed statewide child support solutions in Nevada and West Virginia; began serving counties in Minnesota.
2011
Launched our first mobile solution for social workers with Franklin County Child & Adult Protective Services (OH).
2012
Collaborated with Xerox to implement a statewide enterprise content management system for Louisiana DCFS across five program areas.
2015
Established county partnerships in New York, delivering mobile child welfare solutions and appointment management tools.
2016
Expanded West Virginia’s statewide solution to include economic assistance services.
2017
Launched Traverse—our flagship cloud-based software—with Houston County DHS (MN), enabling mobile casework, document and forms management, and case discovery.
2018
Became Ohio’s first vendor across all program areas, including SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, child welfare, child support, and child care. Began work with Erie County Children and Youth Services (PA).
2022
Rolled out Traverse Connect, a secure client portal, with Carver County Health & Human Services (MN).
2023
Expanded Traverse with Reports and Workflow modules and adapted the ecosystem for child support and economic assistance use cases.
2023
Launched Case Aide Services in partnership with Jackson County Job & Family Services (OH), improving caseworker well-being and capacity.
Our Impact
Learn how agencies are reaching new heights with Northwoods.
Health and human services agencies across America use our software and services to streamline workflows and empower people.
By reducing paperwork—and making time for peoplework—you boost productivity. You also cut costs and open room to support your communities. It’s a much-needed leg up for agency workers who often struggle with burnout and agencies that tackle turnover.
But don’t take our word for it. Explore true stories from agency leaders and workers who see dynamic results firsthand.
Impact By the Numbers
Stats? We have them. See how Northwoods offerings benefit health and human services agencies, person by person.
Uplift Your Team. Amplify Your Impact.
Learn how agencies are reaching new heights with Northwoods.
From our purpose to our people, we embrace the potential to benefit health and human services.
Traverse, Northwoods cloud-based software, and Case Aide Services, our personal administrative service, make your workflows seamless. Stronger, less-stressed teams with stronger outcomes? Let’s do it.
We’re ready to be part of your mission—just say the word.
