
The emphasis and focus on providing high quality social care has grown immensely over the past 20 years. From justice involved to healthcare, from aging to housing, networks of social care providers are working together to meet the complex needs of these populations- forming social care networks (SCN). Social care networks are community-based organizations (CBOs) and other non-for-profits entities providing interconnected services. However, the ways in which these service providers work together varies based on the level of formal partnership. These networks aim to provide coordinated care for the vulnerable populations mentioned above and this coordination requires effective communication, data sharing, meeting service benchmarks, along with data security and privacy compliance.
Key Benefits of Social Care Networks:
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Improved Service Coordination: Reduces gaps in care by connecting individuals to the right services at the right time.
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Comprehensive Care: Addresses a wide range of needs, including health, emotional well-being, housing, and social integration.
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Accessibility: Makes services easier to access, particularly for those with complex or overlapping needs.
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Cost Efficiency: Reduces duplication of services and makes better use of available resources by promoting cooperation.
As each of the social service genres matures, a variety of SCN models have emerged:
1. Single-Service: This model focuses on a specific service, such as mental health, disability support, or elder care and aims to integrate all resources and professionals related to a single issue or population.
2. Integrated Multi-Service: Offers multiple social care services under one roof, often targeting vulnerable populations with complex needs. The typical network brings together health care, housing support, financial aid, and social services in one location to provide holistic care.
3. Health and Social Care Integration: Specifically designed to integrate health care and social care services, often with a strong focus on specific populations (e.g., elderly, food insecure populations). Includes both medical professionals (nurses, GPs) with social workers, care coordinators, and therapists to streamline services and reduce hospital admissions and improve total cost of care.
Regardless of the genre or model, another common occurrence is the formation of a hub. A more popular term is Community Care Hub (CCH). A CCH is an organization that may or may not provide direct social care services but assumes the administrative role within a SCN. This role includes contracting with government, healthcare, or other entities purchasing social care services, referral management, outreach and marketing, training and technical assistance support, compliance with contractual requirements, and data and technology. Hubs are valuable to SCNs as it allows member organizations to focus on providing services they know best instead of investing time, resources, and dollars into administration. In addition, a CBO can participate in multiple SCNs allowing them to optimize their organizations mission, vision, and sustainability.
There are various types of SCN in the US: Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), Pathways Community HUB Institute (PCHI), Community Action Partnerships, Workforce Development Boards, and others. For example, AAAs is a SCN of CBOs that coordinate and provide a wide range of services for older adults, caregivers, and people with disabilities. They were established under the Older Americans Act of 1965 to help individuals age in place, maintain independence, and access necessary support services in their communities and typically serve as a hub for aging-related services, working in partnership with state and federal programs. There are over 600 AAAs across the United States, and they are often organized by region, city, or county and are tailored to meet the specific needs of the community they serve. Another key SCN is PCHI- a model that helps communities build a transformative and sustainable community-based SCN. In addition to providing the infrastructure to reach out to those at greatest risk, identify risk factors and barriers, and assure connections to medical, social, and behavioral health services, the PCHI model is also a quality improvement framework. The PCHI model has been developed, evaluated, and scaled to many diverse communities for over thirty years and has been proven to effectively reduce costs while improving health and social outcomes for community members most at risk.
At IMPOWR we understand that, regardless of the SCN model, every SCN needs a purpose-built technology solution. Reach out and see how IMPOWR can support you!
IMPOWR your social care infrastructure; IMPOWR your Network