The Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families (DSCYF) changed its service delivery model to a system of care (SOC) approach. DSCYF has four divisions that provide child protection and related child welfare services including maintaining the central registry, juvenile probation and institutional corrections, child mental health and substance abuse treatment, prevention, and early intervention services. Under the SOC model a team comprised of the relevant staff from each of the appropriate divisions would provide or oversee services using a single plan for the family. In 2005, DSCYF determined that the existing SACWIS, the Family and Child Tracking System (FACTS), did not support the SOC service delivery model and should be replaced with a new Web-enabled system. DSCYF contracted with WRMA to develop the requirements for a new, fully integrated Web-enabled system that would be SACWIS compliant and support Department activities.
The WRMA Project Team developed the new system's requirements by conducting key informant interviews and facilitating group sessions that involved approximately 20 percent of the DSCYF staff, as well as personnel from the courts, other public agencies, and private providers. In addition to developing the requirements for FACTS II, WRMA developed a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit a systems integration vendor; an automated system for documenting the proposal reviews; cost benefit and alternatives analyses; and an Implementation Advance Planning Document.
The requirements for FACTS II, the request for proposal, and the cost-benefit and alternatives analysis were reviewed and approved by the Administration for Children and Families; however, the state encountered an unexpected fiscal crisis and has been unable to fund the project. Rather than expend remaining project resources as planned, WRMA documented in detail the more than 20 interfaces that would eventually be required. The WRMA team also developed several business scenarios for potential systems integration vendors to use in describing how their proposed systems solutions would meet the needs of DSCYF under an systems of care approach. WRMA's involvement in the project was completed in 2006. Although Delaware has not yet been able to fund the system development, as fiscal constraints resolve the state may consider updating the requirements and proceeding with the design and development of FACTS II.
