Aligned Customer-Centered Ecosystem of Services & Supports (ACCESS)

Building capacity for customer-centered health, human services, and labor systems alignment

Project Background

The Aligned Customer-Centered Ecosystem of Services & Supports (ACCESS) project is a two-year initiative led by the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA). The ACCESS project aims to surface and align modernization efforts that organizations across the wide health, human services, and labor ecosystem are undertaking in service of promoting truly customer-centered improvements to program design and delivery.

This initiative leverages a robust collaborator engagement strategy to guide its approach over the course of the project. APHSA, NASWA, and other identified collaborators will co-design a roadmap for system alignment across health, human services, and labor agencies informed by cross-sectional insights garnered throughout the project period and centered on the customer’s desired future state of alignment.

Project Resources

Read Full Project Overview

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New Paper! Paving the Road to ACCESS: Early Insights from the Aligned Customer-Centered Ecosystem of Supports & Services (ACCESS) Initiative

project-background

Anticipated Outcomes

Establish a committed cross-sector network of support to promote the implementation of alignment efforts by states identified as potential early adopters.

Co-create a guiding strategy, framework, and set of resources to enable action towards systems alignment so that all collaborators are prepared to transition from the current to a future state of alignment.

Equip APHSA, NASWA, and their members with a strategy and action plan for adopting the technical assistance roadmap and implementing systems changes.

Timeline: Project Period 2023-2025

Planning Period

Refine detailed work plan and program activities
Collaborator research and analysis and engagement plan development

Landscape Scan

Baseline assessments of Health, Human Services, and Labor agencies data and system integration

Customer Journey Map

Visualization of customer experience in navigating economic mobility benefits and supportive services.
Visualize future state of customer journey map

Technical Assistance Plan

Develop roadmap for aligning system modernization strategies
Strategize deployment of roadmap
Identify states for potential implementation projects

Strategy: Initiative Logic Model

Objectives:

Align capacity-building efforts across state health, human services, and labor agencies focused on developing modern, integrated, and customer-centered access to benefits and supportive services that promote economic mobility.

Inputs

APHSA Project Team
NASWA Project Team
Virtual meetings
In-person convenings

Activities

Establish work plan
Gather preliminary collaborator feedback
Develop a plan for engagement
Establish baseline assessments of state data and system integration
Explore customer journey of navigating economic mobility benefits and supportive services

Project Overview/Policy Brief: Early Insights in HHS-Labor Data and System Integration
Customer Journey Map: Current State
2024 Joint Convening on the Future of Systems Alignment
Customer Journey Map: Future State
Customer-Centered Data and Systems Integration Roadmap

Outputs

Understanding of the technical and programmatic needs and priorities across health, human services, and labor systems
Identified barriers and opportunities to alignment of IT modernization strategies
Establishment of structures, narratives, and momentum that support sustained, collaborative design of data and technology integration strategies in partnership with customer voices
Engagement of states in the development and execution of an APHSA plan to facilitate direct implementation of cross-agency data and technology solutions that improve customer access

Outcomes

Impact:

There is a fundamental shift in how health, human services, and labor agencies consider ways to link data and systems across the foundational benefits that help families achieve economic mobility, ultimately creating more user-friendly, customer-centered experiences.

alignment-landscape

Alignment Landscape

APHSA & NASWA landscape scanning activities identified initiatives spanning workforce development, unemployment insurance (UI) modernization, and human services innovation. In addition to documenting initiatives led by state and federal government agencies and non-governmental partner organizations, this landscape scan highlights efforts led by APHSA, NASWA, and other peer associations. This body of initiatives aims to improve service delivery and collaboration among agencies that administer programs proven to support individuals and families during financial shock and create household financial stability.

This incomplete register of initiatives across the vast ecosystem of public services demonstrates the ongoing commitment to enhancing workforce development, UI systems, and human services delivery by adopting technology, collaboration, and innovative practices. These separate initiatives collectively strive to create a more resilient and responsive system for all by addressing individuals' challenges during financial shocks and improving service delivery.

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Collaborators in Alignment

By actively involving collaborators throughout the project's lifecycle, we will cultivate a culture of collaboration, teamwork, and collective problem-solving, which are vital for addressing complex challenges in health, human services, and labor systems alignment.

Identify and engage relevant collaborators.

Identify and engage key collaborators from health, human services, and labor agencies, as well as cross-sector partners involved in data and system modernization efforts. Conduct a comprehensive landscape scan to map current data and system modernization efforts in the health, human services, and labor sectors. Leverage the robust membership bodies and networks of collaborative partners from APHSA and NASWA to inform project strategy and decision-making throughout the project.

Foster deep sustainable collaboration.

Foster deep collaboration among the collaborators involved in the project by creating opportunities for regular communication, sharing of insights, and joint problem-solving sessions. Facilitate the development of sustainable partnerships among health, human services, and labor systems to ensure ongoing collaboration beyond the project duration.

Center customer experience.

Work with teaming partners to develop and document customer journey maps that illustrate how families navigate access to benefits and supportive services across the three sectors.

Co-design a roadmap for integration.

Work closely with collaborators to co-design a roadmap for data and system integration across health, human services, and labor agencies. Present and validate the roadmap for data and system integration at a joint convening in 2024, allowing collaborators to review and provide feedback on the roadmap.

Collaborator Engagement Strategies

APHSA and NASWA deploy five engagement strategies for this project:

Customer and State Advisory Councils: We will establish Advisory Councils of collaborator groups from whom we need input and buy-in to ensure project success.
Surveys: We will conduct surveys to collect information and feedback from our collaborator groups to inform policy analyses and recommendations.
Focus Groups: We will conduct Focus Group conversations with collaborator groups from whom we need deep insights to inform project outputs.
Interviews: We will conduct 1:1 and/or group interviews with individuals from collaborator groups to inform project outputs and to unpack learnings and recommendations.
Check-ins: We may establish recurring check-ins with important collaborators from some groups who have distinct interests in the project and/or whose organizations are executing related initiatives.

ACCESS Ecosystem – Advisors & Collaborators

The ACCESS Ecosystem consists of project advisors and key collaborators from the health, human services, and labor sectors. Project advisors include customers with lived experience accessing public benefits—they make up the Customer Advisory Council. Additionally, project advisors include state advisors from state agencies in public benefits, and they make up the State Advisory Council.

Select an advisory or collaborator group below to learn more.

Customers

The customer collaborator group will be engaged through focus groups, surveys, and interviews. Our approach to recruiting and engaging these collaborators will prioritize an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) lens to foster a diverse and inclusive environment. We will establish inclusive platforms and spaces that encourage collaborators to freely express their perspectives and share their experiences.

State Agencies

These collaborators are organizations at the state level in the health and human services labor sectors. Our project team will engage this collaborator group through surveys and focus groups. Additionally, this group will serve as members of the project advisory council. They will provide advice, feedback, and artifacts and facilitate buy-in, resource distribution, network connections, and subject matter expertise. The collaborator group's participation in project activities is essential to its success, ensuring effective implementation and achievement of project goals.

Peer Associations

This collaborator group for our project consists of peer member-driven organizations within the human services and labor sectors. These organizations are key collaborators in the field, representing the interests and perspectives of their respective sectors. To engage this collaborator group, our project team will involve them through an Advisory Council, surveys, and focus groups. These collaborative efforts will enable us to gather valuable insights, benefit from their expertise, and understand the challenges and opportunities within the human services and labor sectors. The involvement of these organizations in the project activities, including providing input through surveys and participating in focused discussions, will contribute significantly to shaping the project's outcomes and ensuring its relevance and effectiveness.

UI Policy Committee

These collaborators are groups within APHSA and NASWA memberships. They will help engage complex networks of collaborators in the alignment and modernization space. These groups play a crucial role in facilitating the involvement of diverse collaborators in alignment and modernization. Their primary objective is to engage complex networks of collaborators and foster collaboration among them.

In terms of project Involvement, these groups actively participate in activities such as focus groups, interviews, and advisory council sessions. By conducting these interactions, they gather valuable insights, perspectives, and expertise from the collaborators involved. This information aids in the decision-making process for alignment and modernization initiatives undertaken by APHSA and NASWA. The Collaborator Groups serve as a vital link between the memberships and the organizations, enabling effective engagement and a collaborative approach to drive positive change in the field of alignment and modernization.

Civic Tech Organizations

To engage this group, our project team will involve them through interviews and focus groups. The collaborator group will provide valuable advice and feedback, share artifacts, contribute to buy-in from collaborators, assist in distributing resources, establish network connections, actively participate in project activities, and bring their subject matter expertise to the table.

This collaborator group comprises civic tech organizations engaged in modernization efforts within the health, human services, and labor sectors. These organizations are typically not-for-profit and play a crucial role in driving innovation and technological advancements in these sectors. To engage this group, our project team will involve them through interviews and focus groups. The collaborator group will provide valuable advice and feedback, share artifacts, contribute to buy-in from collaborators, assist in distributing resources, establish network connections, actively participate in project activities, and bring their subject matter expertise to the table.

Research Organizations & Policy Think Tanks

This collaborator group for our project comprises research organizations and policy think tanks that specialize in providing evidence-based research across various levels of government in the health, human services, and labor sectors. These organizations are critical in informing policy decisions and driving impactful changes. To engage this collaborator group, our project team will involve them through interviews and focus groups. They will provide valuable advice and feedback, share their research artifacts, contribute to collaborators' buy-in, assist in resource distribution, and establish network connections. Their expertise and insights will be instrumental in shaping the project and achieving its objectives.

Local Providers

These collaborators are organizations at the local level in the health, human services, and labor sectors. Our project team actively engages this collaborator group through interviews and focus groups. Their contributions will be invaluable, as they will provide subject matter expertise, share artifacts, raise awareness, and actively participate in project activities. Their involvement will play a crucial role in shaping the project's outcomes and ensuring its success.

Industry

The collaborator group for our project consists of industry organizations that provide products and services in a vendor capacity within the human services and labor sectors. These organizations play a crucial role in offering solutions and technologies that enhance operations and improve service delivery. To engage this collaborator group, our project team will involve them through focus groups and interviews. This will allow us to gather their valuable insights, understand their perspectives, and benefit from their industry expertise. Their involvement will help us identify innovative approaches, address challenges, and ensure that our project aligns with the needs and requirements of the industry.

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Opportunities for National Engagement

Through the ACCESS initiative, the project team hopes to offer its wide network of collaborators various opportunities to engage in alignment work underway across sectors so that the progress made by these initiatives can rapidly scale and accelerate traction toward building equitable, customer-centered access points across systems.