Hartford Partners With Social Solutions to Be Named First "ETO City"

Innovative Performance Management Software to Better Serve City's Children, Youth & Families; Mayor Perez Supports "Efforts to Outcomes Software"


HARTFORD, CT and BALTIMORE, MD--(Marketwire - December 4, 2008) - Mayor Eddie A. Perez is proud to announce that the City of Hartford and Social Solutions have formed a groundbreaking collaboration. Through the use of special software, government, schools, funders, and social service providers are better connected so that they can better serve Hartford's children, youth, and families. The collaboration enables point-of-service workers to share information, track their outcomes and measure their effectiveness. What is even more special is that Hartford and its Office of Youth Services is the first to achieve this.

Social Solutions is the leading provider of performance management software for the human services sector. Its ETO Software®, a technology platform that facilitates sharing of resources and information across participating organizations, is a key component to the stronger link and enhanced services.

As an ETO City, Hartford is expanding upon the 2001 launch of its Phase I collaborative effort to better link social services citywide. The initial implementation connected the Office for Youth Services and Capitol Workforce Partners, the City's regional workforce investment board, as well as nine community nonprofit organizations. Phase II will connect several city departments including Health and Human Services and the Office of Young Children, and incorporate a number of additional youth development programs including eight Boys and Girls Clubs and a new community schools partnership between funders, Hartford Public Schools and youth programs and the City's Juvenile Review Board.

In addition to expanding the number of organizations and programs involved in the effort, the second phase of collaboration provides deeper integration of data, activities and reporting across the various participating agencies. For example, information from the central database for the Hartford Public School system, called SASI, will be linked in to the central Hartford ETO platform. This will enable a better coordination of services and interventions for children and youth in Hartford as employees across different departments and programs will be able to see what services individuals are receiving, which other departments are assisting the family, and assess how these services are impacting the social and academic success of the individual youth.

Mayor Perez says, "It is essential that these crucial departments are 'on the same page' in regards to services and solutions. Communication is key and this system will enable that communication to happen and more importantly, Hartford families will be better served."

"Integrating SASI means social service workers across the city will have visibility into key pieces of information about students -- such as their attendance records, after-school activities and grades. This will greatly enhance the interactions and positive impacts on students and their families," said Enid Rey, the Director of the Office of Youth Services for the City of Hartford.

The ETO Software® facilitates easy and convenient access to many different resources and information so that social service workers can:

--  Monitor and asses background information of people in need of care;
--  Input information to manage cases shared across all organizations
    involved;
--  Assess efforts, and improve service quality by documenting connections
    between activities and outcomes.
    

"As the first ETO City, Hartford is leading the way in offering the highest quality social services to its community. We are pleased to be part of this effort," said Steve Butz, founder and president of Social Solutions. "We expect Hartford's innovative and strategic approach will serve as a model for other cities across the country. We look forward to working with other cities to help them foster greater collaboration and in turn enhance service for their citizens."

Founded by human service workers, Social Solutions seeks to revolutionize the effectiveness of human service, social service, and other nonprofit organizations by helping them align their missions, funders' expectations, and the daily work of their staffs. ETO Software is currently in place in several thousand organizations across the United States.

About Social Solutions and ETO Software®

Social Solutions challenges and equips human service providers and their funders to turn good intent into measurable change by relating efforts to outcomes. The company's ETO (Efforts to Outcomes) reporting software replaces one-size-fits-all data tracking with a reporting system tailored to the unique mission of each nonprofit organization. ETO Software® generates a clear and accurate measure of impact to improve service delivery, earn more funding, and reduce the time and resources dedicated to tracking performance.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Melissa Chotiner DBC PR+New Media (202) 292-4572 melissa@dbcpr.com