In case you missed our webinar earlier this month, here’s our recap and the key takeaways from each panelist.
Caseworkers didn’t enter human services to spend their days on paperwork. Technology can change that. But only when it’s built the right way.
That was the focus of From Caseload to Capacity: How Automation Empowers the HHS Workforce, and How to Choose the Right Partner to Get There, hosted by the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) in partnership with Northwoods. Northwoods’ Amy Drapcho moderated a conversation with Dr. Mindy Banfield of Chemung County (NY), Justin Brown of Global True North, and Kevin Zhang of Northwoods.
One message came through again and again: the best solutions aren’t built for agencies. They’re built with them.
Chemung County shows what that looks like. As a build partner for Workspace, a new module of Traverse that will be released soon, its caseworkers and supervisors helped shape the tool around how they actually work.
“We believe that better technology increases job satisfaction and contributes to our overall ability to achieve better outcomes.”
Justin, who leads HHS 2030, explained why it matters. Agencies cannot fund or hire their way out of high caseloads.
“One of the core goals of technology modernization ought to be to unlock organizational capacity.”
That’s the thinking behind the new tools we’re bringing to Traverse and our approach to meaningful AI in human services: less time on transactions, more time for people.
Key Takeaways From Our Panelists
Dr. Mindy Banfield: Modernizing Restores Capacity
- Paperwork cut in half. One caseworker who once relied on sticky notes and faced constant deadline pressure reported spending about 50% less time on paperwork.
- Up to 81% time savings. Case aides have seen some tasks take up to 81% less time.
- Higher productivity and morale. “We’ve seen remarkable improvements in efficiency, productivity, quality, and morale.”
- More time with families. Staff engage more deeply, complete more thorough assessments, and offer more preventive education.
- Staff are coming back. One team member left for a similar job closer to home, then returned to Chemung County. The culture and the technology made the longer commute worth it.
- Co-creation lifts the whole field. It keeps solutions grounded in real-world practice and in what families need.
- Advice for fellow commissioners: “Choose partners who are true collaborators, who understand change management, and who actively support leadership in guiding employees through transition.”
Justin Brown: Build the Culture First
- Define your culture on purpose. “If you don’t define that culture intentionally, it will be defined for you.”
- Four shared values. When Justin convened about a dozen state HHS secretaries, from big states and small, red and blue, they agreed human services should be:
- Human-centered: putting the needs of the people served, and the workforce serving them, first.
- Outcomes-driven: defining outcomes before investing and tracking them along the way.
- Relationship-driven: working with community partners, because no agency can do it alone.
- Trauma-informed and hope-centered: recognizing the trauma this work carries and building structures to support staff.
- Treat modernization as an investment. Agencies with tight budgets can start small. A good discovery process often turns up a dozen or more places where lightweight technology unlocks real capacity.
- Your voice matters. Modernization fatigue is real, but with the right partner, frontline feedback is “meaningful, not just symbolic anymore.”
Kevin Zhang: Understand First, Then Build
- Start with the pain points. Our product team watches workflows click by click before designing anything. “Their job is to tell us what the pain points are. Our job is to figure out the solutions.”
- Prototypes reflect understanding. “We don’t want to start with a prototype and be like, here’s what we think works for you.”
- A missionary, not a mercenary. Success means seeing real results for workers and families.
- AI is a means to an end. Ask whether a partner wants to understand your use case or just sell you AI features. A good partner will also tell you where not to use AI.
- Keep people in the loop. “We can’t offload that judgment to AI.” Like a doctor making a diagnosis, the caseworker makes the call.
- Ground AI in your documents. AI should pull only from approved sources, like policy or the case file, and cite the exact lines it used. One pilot customer cut a records review from three hours to 25 minutes.
Kevin’s final takeaway echoes how we approach AI for caseworkers: “Technology should free caseworkers for people and relationships, and not replace their judgment.”
Looking Ahead
If you missed it, watch the full recording. To learn more about our partnership with Chemung County, read Building Better Human Services Technology Starts With the People Who Use It.
Interested in co-creating with us? If your agency would like to learn about becoming a Northwoods Build Partner, contact Kevin Zhang, Director of Product Management, at kevin.zhang@teamnorthwoods.com.
We’ll keep building alongside the agencies we serve. Listening first. Building second. Measuring what matters.
Because technology alone doesn’t transform human services.
People do.
Webinar Q&A
With capacity already an issue, how do you carve out time for co-creation while still getting your work done?
From Mindy: Innovation is one of Chemung County’s core agency values, so they treat it as a priority and make the time when projects come up. Finding volunteers is never a problem, because staff want a voice and a part in something exciting. It’s a real morale booster.
What are the biggest change management challenges you faced or continue to face?
From Mindy: The biggest challenge was rethinking business processes and how work gets routed. One child welfare task can touch several clerical staff and the accounting team that processes payments, so workflows had to be set up so nothing got lost. Leading by example matters too: staying heavily involved set the tone and expectations. Some of it took more time than expected, but the time savings and restored capacity made it well worth it.
What are you seeing nationally about agencies, states and counties being open to transformation and new technology?
From Justin: In early 2023, most state leaders were hesitant about AI: “not saying no, but definitely not saying yes,” with everyone watching everyone else. Over the last three years they’ve become much more aggressive about adopting both traditional technology and AI. Leaders coming out of COVID are “battle tested,” feel the same capacity constraints as their staff, and see technology as a solution, though not a one-size-fits-all one. Each state is different and there are many stakeholders, so some areas are still wait-and-see.
What should agencies with limited budgets or limited IT staff do to get ready for modernization?
From Justin: Treat budgets and time as investments, not just expenses, as Chemung’s results show. Two recommendations:
- Small, lightweight wins: a discovery and co-creation process will surface a dozen or more places where small, affordable technology can unlock capacity, without a full legacy system replacement.
- Culture work: define your culture on purpose, or it will be defined for you. In 2023, a group of state HHS secretaries agreed on four shared values: human-centered, outcomes-driven, relationship-driven, and trauma-informed and hope-centered.
Will visuals or resources be shared?
From Amy: Yes. Northwoods will follow up with a blog linking to resources and solutions, including the Chemung County co-creation story. See the Additional Resources On The Topic section below.
We know we need to adopt new tech and AI but have no idea where to start. What was your starting point, and how did you grow from there?
From Mindy: Chemung started from a hard place, with performance and organizational problems, and modernized out of real need. A team assessed the options, the products, the support each provider offered, and what the workplace could realistically manage. After choosing a partner, they kept investing in the relationship: giving feedback, joining product development meetings and learning what other places were doing. Each step built on the last and moved them in a positive direction.
Additional Resources On The Topic
- Building Better Human Services Technology Starts With the People Who Use It
- Fresh From the Traverse Toolbox: What’s New This Fall
- AI for Caseworkers: Returning Time Without Removing Responsibility
- Beyond the Recognition: What Meaningful AI Looks Like in Human Services
- HHS 2030
- American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
