The Next Generation of Human Services: REALIZING THE VISION

The Human Services Summit The capacity challenge has moved the human services community to an inflection point. A central demand is for programs to provide ahighlevelof“publicvalue” –ameasureofhoweffectiveandefficientaprogramisinachievingoutcomes.Acrossthepolitical spectrum, citizens desire this transparency in reporting public value. Yet the capacity challenge has many organizations struggling. Their effectiveness is at risk in relation to short and long-term demands. To help human services leaders form and realize a vision for their organizations, Leadership for a Networked World and Accenture, in collaboration with the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) convened senior human services policy makers and executives at for the 2010 Human Services Summit at Harvard University. Leaders at the Summit agreed that addressing the capacity challenge will require a new vision for designing and delivering human services.Thenewbusinessmodelswillhaveafamilycentricmission,willworkacrossorganizationalboundariestoaligngoalsandwill pursue a laser-like focus on outcomes. The policies, programs, production and provision of services will enable the mission and continually adapt to changing circumstances – all while striving to generate the highest level of capacity for the organization, employees, clients and the broader community. As a product of the Summit, Leadership for a Networked World is pleased to present this whitepaper, The Next Generation of Human Services: Realizing the Vision. This paper will help human services leaders envision a transformation journey for their own organization and realize their vision through concrete actions. To inspire and guide efforts, the paper couples insights from the Human Services Summit at Harvard with case-based examples from human services executives nationwide.