Advising on Louisiana’s Child Welfare System

Louisiana Department of Social Services (DSS)
Advisory and Management ServicesIT

Challenge

The Louisiana Department of Social Services (DSS), Office of Community Services (OCS) needed a modern, integrated child welfare information system to replace aging technology, strengthen data quality, and support more coordinated service delivery. They also needed expert guidance to evaluate system options, align stakeholders, and prepare for a long-term enterprise approach.

Solution

Louisiana received project management and independent quality assurance support for the Louisiana Kids and Families Integrated Data System (LAKIDS) project. Our deep national SACWIS and child welfare expertise informed requirements definition and system design and supported joint application development sessions, enabling DSS’s transition to an enterprise model. The effort included market research and cost-benefit analyses, evaluation of commercial-off-the-shelf solutions, and positioned the State for federal funding and future design, development, and implementation (DD&I) procurement.

57,000+ families

TANF caseloads supported by system

25,000

Reports of alleged child abuse or neglect each year investigated by modernized OCS system, serving 13,000 cases

Learn More About This Project

Evaluation of Human Services Software Solutions

A structured Request for Information process designed and led by our team enabled Louisiana to assess commercially available human services software against DSS specifications. Products were evaluated using defined criteria and ranked based on alignment with State requirements. A formal report documented the evaluation process, methods, and product rankings, supporting transparent and defensible system selection.

Enterprise Architecture and System Design Support

A high-level business process model developed by our team documented current (“As Is”) processes and supported collaboration with Louisiana staff on the future (“To Be”) model for integrated program support. This work positioned the State to issue an RFP and proceed into system design, development, and implementation with clearer requirements and lower delivery risk.

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