Through our research understanding the government digital service field and what workers in this field need, we want to help strengthen those existing roles and establish more pathways for promotion and career support, as well as help other teams recognize the value of these skills and create new roles.
The report highlights a project to improve the Philadelphia Office of Homeless Services' (OHS) prevention and intake processes by implementing trauma-informed practices. In collaboration with staff, participants, and trauma experts, the project aimed to reduce distress for those accessing services while equipping staff with tools and training to better manage trauma-related interactions, creating a more supportive and empathetic service environment.
There has been exponential growth in benefits theft by criminals who are “cloning and skimming” EBT cards, leaving thousands of families with drained accounts and limited recourse in getting back their benefits. In this webinar, a panel of experts discuss what states can do right now to improve EBT security, how to use data to analyze theft patterns, and how EBT payment technology needs to evolve to ensure efficiency, security, and dignity for beneficiaries.
This resource appendix is a compilation of useful resources intended as a follow-on to the DSN’s writing on theories of change for digital transformation in government. Practitioners can use these resources to DIY their ToC after reading our essays.
In our research announcement on theories of change (ToC) for digital government, the Digital Service Network shared our belief that all Digital Service (DS) teams should work to develop a ToC.
As they transition to providing more services online, there are ways governments can get creative working around talent shortages and entrenched bureaucracies.
When COVID-19 hit, the State of New Jersey recognized the need to both receive data on the spread of the disease from the public and provide information to them on how to mitigate it.
In February 2023, the Digital Benefits Network at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation released a dataset documenting authentication and identity verification requirements that unemployment insurance (UI) applicants encounter across the United States. This resource outlines high-level observations from the data and more information about the research process.
The NYC Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity (NYC Opportunity) developed the NYC Benefits Platform, including ACCESS NYC, to help residents easily discover and check eligibility for over 80 social programs. This mobile-first, open-source tool uses a simple eligibility screener, reducing access barriers while allowing integration with other city services like MyCity, ensuring efficient access to benefits.
Identity proofing, authentication, and online access to benefits applications have been increasingly important issues for benefits agencies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the call, we heard from two speakers: April Dunlap, Policy Administrator for Arizona’s Department of Economic Security and Professor Michele Gilman, Venable Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development at the University of Baltimore School of Law.
