Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is quickly gaining the time and attention it has deserved in all programs in human services. Organizations are finding a strong CQI system can inform program development and improvement, contract deliverables and workforce development as well as guide improved outcomes for children, families and vulnerable populations served by human services organizations.
California counties are in various stages of implementing a CQI system, from exploring to fully utilizing CQI to support decisions, program development and improvement. In an effort to increase sharing and provide a forum for collaborative learning throughout California, UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education’s Human Services division invites human services leaders to attend the 2019 Continuous Quality Improvement Leadership Summit.
Who Should Attend
This Summit is intended for leaders from all programs in human services, including county directors, self-sufficiency, tribal TANF, child welfare, adult services, child support, as well as any other leaders and staff who are actively supporting a county's CQI system.
Keynote Presentations
How Do We Get There From Here: Building and Sustaining a CQI Ecosystem in Human Services Agencies
April Allen, Ph.D., M.P.A., Founder and Principal Consultant, Resilient Futures LLC
Leaders who are newly committed to infusing principles of continuous quality improvement into the day-to-day work of an organization can face a steep learning curve and a short runway for implementing changes. This interactive session will help human services leaders navigate and nurture a CQI ecosystem, including understanding the key constituencies, moving from values to action, and building organization-wide skills and competencies. Participants will leave the session with strategies for designing outcome-focused performance measurement systems, best practices in setting realistic targets, and suggestions for maintaining a focus on continuous quality improvement in the face of leadership changes, media attention and other system stressors.
How Leaders Can Build CQI Habits in their Agencies
Jennifer Haight, M.A., Supervisory Children and Program Specialist, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau
The principles of CQI contain a systematic and structured approach to problem-solving that help manage the many challenges faced by human services leaders. CQI principles can guide managers toward the identification of processes or programs areas which merit specific focus. Continued focus, with attention to the measurement principles embedded in the systematic approach to CQI, uncovers opportunities to make adaptations to programs or processes that lead to future improvement in system functioning as well as improvement in core outcomes. In this interactive session, we will review the principles of CQI while also discussing the behaviors that allow for the execution of CQI activities within and across organizations. We will consider the challenges inherent in supporting continuous improvement in an environment that is continually changing, and identify specific strategies to help build durable CQI processes in human services systems.
CQI Strategies for Agency Leaders
Peter Watson, Senior Director, Technical Assistance Unit, Casey Family Programs
During this interactive session, Peter Watson will draw on his experience with and examples from multiple jurisdictions and leaders across the country and explore the following questions with the members of the audience:
- Why should you care about CQI?
- What is the leader’s role in CQI implementation and sustainability?
- What are some strategies leaders can use to design and sustain effective CQI systems?
- What are the challenges you will likely encounter?
Details on the following keynote speakers’ presentations will be available soon:
Kim Johnson, Director, California Department of Social Services
Dave McDowell, Ph.D., Chief, Children’s Services Operations and Evaluation Branch, California Department of Social Services
Fred Wulczyn, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow and Director, Center for State Child Welfare Data