Integrated Data Is Key to “Pay for Success”

Summary

Cuyahoga County, Ohio, used an integrated data system to improve outcomes for very vulnerable families in a pioneering Pay for Success program.  The public-private funding partnership used the IDS to develop a more targeted set of services for the homeless mothers with children in the child welfare system; design a rigorous evaluation to test the effectiveness of the new services; and, estimate the potential savings of the efficient set of services. The investors will be paid from the savings generated by reducing the amount of time homeless children spend in out-of-home care.

Table of Contents

• The Challenge: Constructing a Pay For Success Program
• IDS Data Were Critical to Designing, Financing and Evaluating Family Success
• The Agreement: Partnering for Family Success Program Description
• Making Service Improvement on the Ground
• Value Added by the IDS: Faster, Better, Cheaper
• Sources and Endnotes

Key Takeaway

Pay for Success Data Cut Across Agency Information Boundaries

Pay for Success programs often involve delivering services and tracking results in ways that cross agency boundaries. Since planning, managing and evaluating these efforts requires information that is collected by various administrative data systems, an IDS that links data from the various systems is critical to developing these systems-efficient, cost-saving programs.