Designing an automated services tracking system for a caregiver support program.
This article describes the process of developing an automated services tracking system for California's 11 regional Caregiver Resource Centers. The system was designed over a 3-year period for use by social workers, administrative personnel, and managers and has implications for both internal services monitoring and state reporting functions. The system development included input from clinical staff to be user-friendly to nontechnical staff. The article recounts technical and conceptual obstacles overcome and the evaluation of a relatively modest idea into a sophisticated, custom-made computer program. Issues of start-up, implementation, expansion, and report design are discussed. Lessons learned and other insights have practice and policy implications for documenting and reporting service usage at case management and other social services agencies. Lastly, an overview of the system's features and highlights of automated reports are provided.