Cleveland County Digitizes Case Files to Improve Performance and Mobility in Court

Challenges

Cleveland County DSS used to rely on paper-based, manual processes for managing documents and forms in child support. This made it hard to keep up with caseloads and find files or information as needed, especially since agents are managing hundreds of cases at a time.

Agents were bogged down with administrative work when they wanted to focus on case management. Even when clerical staff helped with filing, that took away from valuable time they could have spent supporting agents to make sure families got the financial support they needed.

Court-related processes were also inefficient too, which jeopardized the agency’s ability to meet required timeframes. It could take several days after a court hearing to get child support orders signed and scanned into the system.

Solution

Cleveland County DSS child support agents now use Traverse to work from anywhere, including the courthouse. Agents and clerical staff use the software to scan, store, and retrieve state and local forms, legal documents, and other case content. Documents are organized in centralized, electronic case files using a human services-specific taxonomy, which allows any worker to find what they need at any time without having to dig through bulky records.

“When you're talking about holding records for 20 years, it can accumulate a lot of paperwork. This has helped us to be more efficient and more accurate,” said Tracy Tolbert, child support program manager, Cleveland County DSS.

Child support workers can use Traverse to:

• Process new applications in Traverse that are immediately available in the electronic file
• Easily progress cases and files (e.g., from intake to establishment) over the life of the case
• Electronically route client documentation that comes to the agency in the mail to the right worker for review or further processing
• Make real-time changes to forms while in court for judges to sign off on
• Scan documents, such as income verification, into case files from anywhere clients drop them off, including in court
• Use full text search to find pertinent information in case files, such as court orders or case notes

Results

Traverse helps Cleveland County DSS’ child support agents to cut down on timeframes and increase efficiency. “The fact that we're able to reevaluate our processes and make better decisions about how we operate has been a gamechanger,” Tracy said.

Improved productivity in court

The freedom to complete forms and get court orders done before leaving the courthouse has been a huge timesaver.

“We were waiting days to get our signed court orders back. Now we're able to do them in court and get them signed and scanned into Traverse before we come back to the office,” Tracy said. “We have more control over making sure that we've got every document that we did on that date in our possession and back in the case file before we leave court.”

Streamlining collaboration

Without having to rely on paper, it’s easier for workers to share information and records with legal and court staff. For example, agents can route legal referrals to the agency’s paralegal for processing within Traverse instead of having to print all the information and send it via interoffice mail. County clerks can send court orders to the agency electronically that workers can add to a file without having to make or pick up physical copies.

Better client service

Tracy says the biggest benefit for clients is having information on hand instantaneously when they call in with questions. “We don't have to worry about the papers getting lost or someone not getting their filing done and it not being in the case file,” she said. “Having all the information at our fingertips for every worker at any given time is fantastic.”

Agents also have more time to spend on actual case management since previously time-consuming tasks like filing are so simple. “We're able to spend more time focusing on solution-focused decisions for our cases now versus tied up in administrative duties,” Tracy said.

Tracy says child support agents and support staff continue finding new ways to use Traverse every day to make processes more efficient. "Traverse is a substantial change in the way we had our working processes before and it's much better," she said.