Our Approach to Whole System Transformation
Casey Strategic Consulting engagement teams provide direct, intensive, and expansive consulting support to human service agencies poised for significant change. Our consultants work on-site in close collaboration with our clients to strengthen agency management, internal operations, and frontline practices. We draw on the Casey Foundation’s internal work and external relationships to bring proven and/or promising solutions to the complex challenges our clients face. We leverage the Foundation’s strong reputation to garner meaningful support from other stakeholders (e.g., public officials, policy makers, and advocates) in order to address system performance issues that exist outside the purview of our clients.
Our approach, shaped by private sector strategy consulting methodology and Casey Foundation expertise, is very team-based and analytically-driven. The following themes distinguish this approach:
- We focus on transforming entire systems
The children and families who enter child welfare, juvenile justice and/or other human service systems must navigate a confusing, and often dysfunctional, web of processes and/or organizations in order to receive essential services. Since our end goal is to improve outcomes for these children and families, we design our transformation efforts from their perspective. Even when our engagements focus on specific elements, we always work to substantially improve the performance of the entire system in ways that benefit the people they serve.
- We work in close partnership with our clients
We respect and value the knowledge and experience our clients bring to engagements, especially their deep understanding of their system and intimate familiarity with the political realities in their jurisdiction. Our teams therefore work at client sites in order to build close working relationships with agency staff and develop solutions that best fit their unique working environments. We find that this regular interaction makes it easier for us test options, gain support for recommendations, increase stakeholder buy-in, build sense of ownership, and secure commitment to execute the transformation. As the consulting branch of a large charitable foundation, it is possible for us to provide multi-year support to work closely with clients through implementation.
- We seek measurable results
Reform efforts are extremely challenging, costly, and intense. Before we begin an engagement, we work with our clients to clarify the critical issues that must be addressed and define a specific, desired end state. We ensure that our clients can measure and clearly communicate the impact of their work on improving outcomes for children and families.
- We offer objective, analysis-based advice
Casey Strategic Consulting brings rigorous analytical techniques, state-of-the-art strategic tools, and high quality research to its planning and implementation work. We believe this analytical focus allows us to accurately assess system performance, identify gaps, and develop defensible solutions. It also yields recommendations that best fit our clients’ unique situations and can withstand public scrutiny from even the most skeptical stakeholders.
- We build system capacity
As reform efforts progress, it is inevitable that existing or new capability gaps surface that must be addressed. Our teams work closely with our client partners to build or acquire the organizational capacities required to achieve lasting success (e.g, skills, practices, procedures, and/or systems).
- We seek opportunities to have substantial impact
Given the significant resources required to fundamentally transform a human services system, Casey Strategic Consulting seeks the select few leaders and system conditions that offer the broadest possible impact.
Deployed in engagement teams, Casey's seasoned consultants bring substantial expertise and experience to each human service system reform effort. Our staff members have held key positions in government, strategy consulting firms, nonprofits, and/or community agencies.
Our approach is unique and intense. Potential client partners must welcome and understand the implications of our deep involvement in their organization, our drive for significant impact, our analytical problem-solving method, and our unwavering commitment to improve the lives of vulnerable children. For systems that are willing and ready to enter this type of relationship, we offer a compelling opportunity to substantially improve their system’s performance.
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Casey Strategic Consulting's guiding principles.
Opportunity moments for system transformation.
Client engagement, phases and selection.
Contact Casey Strategic Consulting Group.