For many, the concept of “going digital” can spark feelings of fear and uncertainty. The human service industry is notorious for its paper-reliant methods of data capture, documentation, and reporting. This is especially true for agencies that have been providing services for a while before there were reliable, industry-specific technology options available.
It was not too long ago that we would have a team of temporarily assigned quality assurance members travel to all offices to review hard copy paperwork, do interviews with staff, and visit client homes. This was very time consuming, and although a successful process too, it was not cost-effective.
In most industries, Quality Assurance (QA) is aimed at ensuring efficient output and quality of a product. In human services, the “product” is a service that impacts the quality of a person’s life. QA ensures that policies and practices are in place to provide quality results, stability in services, health and safety of people receiving services and accountability to desired outcomes. QA also measures our performance of service contracts and expected industry best practice. QA includes monitoring practices for both people receiving services as well as the staff supporting them.