Transcript InformOntario Standards

InformOntario
Standards/Accreditation
2009 Symposium
May 2009
History of I&R Standards in Ontario
IO Standards – History (1985-2000)
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Work began on standards in mid 80’s
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Began aligning standards with the automation movement in 1990’s
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First Accreditation program was developed in 1993
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More than 40 member organizations became Accredited in the 1990’s
InformOntario:
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IO was supported by paid staff & provincial funding
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Loss of provincial funding in mid 90’s
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Many member organizations closed
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IO became volunteer supported and a virtual organization
IO Standards – History (2000-2007)
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2000, a new Standards Committee formed to update the standards and the
Accreditation process (211 was imminent)
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Primary goal was to align IO standards with AIRS standards (and then
gradually add more standards over a period of time)
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CIOC organization had formed, redevelopment funding, regional databases were
emerging
Key issues that emerged:
1. Do we need two levels of standards in Canada?
• One through AIRS for 211 delivery agencies
• One through IO for I&R agencies
2. Data sharing activity was driving the need for more data technology
standards
3. Thesaurus versus Taxonomy
IO Standards - History (2000-2007)
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A new version of IO Accreditation was completed with six key areas:
 Governance
 Financial management
 Personnel
 Information management
 Definition of services
 I&R client service
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The standards and criteria were developed for comprehensive I&R programs
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Process consisted of an application form with supporting documentation, staff,
board & community questionnaires, and potential for an onsite review
IO Standards - History (2000-2007)
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An Accreditation Liaison supported applicants and conducted the initial
consultation assessment report
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Two Standards Committee members reviewed the submission and assessment
report
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Community Connection went through new Accreditation process first as a test
pilot in 2004
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CMHA/Peel went through in 2007
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Challenges:
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The volunteer work was significant
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The complexity was compounded for specialized I&Rs
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No other IO members applied for Accreditation
IO Standards - History (2000-2007)
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Standards work began being augmented by project funding for 211
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IO’s Standards Committee and the 211 project working group were
consolidated to build on synergies and the small pool of volunteers from IO
members
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New provincial data contracts were developed by Findhelp
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New Tri-membership agreement with InformCanada and AIRS
Challenges:
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No formal strategic alignment with CIOC development
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Lack of clarity around the impact/relationship of 211 work on IO members
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Lack of clarity around members participation in provincial business contracts
through Findhelp and 211 projects also led by Findhelp
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Confusion about leadership for Ontario standards
Our Current Point of View
Current Point of View
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Definition of Standards:
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are entities
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which may be copyright or trademarked, becoming the intellectual property
of its owner/steward/administrator
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Definition of Intellectual Property:
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Intellectual property represents the property of your mind or intellect
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In business terms, this means proprietary knowledge
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IP is a business asset and like other business assets it should be identified and
an appropriate value placed on it
Current Point of View
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InformOntario is the steward (agent/administrator) for its members’ collective
intellectual property
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InformOntario’s responsibility is to ensure these standards are continually
updated to meet the evolving needs of its members
AIRS Standards  IO Standards
AIRS Standards  IO Standards
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In 2008, InformOntario adopted AIRS Accreditation for I&R services in Ontario,
eliminating the duplication
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AIRS standards define expected best practices for all aspects of an information
and referral organization, and its role in the I&R system. These include:
1. Service delivery
2. Resource database
3. Reports and measures
4. Cooperative relationships
5. Disaster preparedness
6. Organizational effectiveness
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AIRS Accreditation and InformOntario Standards may be achieved separately
AIRS Standards  IO Standards
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InformOntario standards define best practices for the resource databases
maintained by InformOntario members
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ensure the most effective consolidation of data at a local, regional or
provincial level
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For example:
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AIRS standards state that inclusion/exclusion criteria must be documented
and uniformly applied
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InformOntario standards would describe what criteria for
inclusion/exclusion criteria that should be uniformly applied
Where We Are Today
IO Standards – Board Approved
Use of the Canadian Taxonomy of Human Services
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Historical context: IO Board endorsed its implementation to replace the
InformOntario Thesaurus
Current status: Taxonomy is written in English and French, with description
fields in English, and the starter term written also in French
IO Standards – Board Approved
Use of the InformOntario Naming Standard © InformOntario
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Historical context: Updated and expanded from original Naming Authority
standard in the early days of automation in the 1990s
Current status: Document is written both English and French
IO Standards – Board Approved
Use of the InformOntario Style Guide © InformOntario
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Historical Context: No agreement on a style guide proposed in 1990s; members
created own versions; inconsistencies became apparent and problematic in
provincial contracts
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Current status: Written in English, with examples in French plus a full French
version. The style guide includes:
Data elements
Field definitions
Data entry rules
Spelling and Language Usage
a)
b)
c)
d)
New Standards in Development
Subject Records
Use of the Subjects Records Guidelines © InformOntario
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Historical Context: Provide structure for non-traditional records as first step
in sharing common themes between and among members (eg. Seasonal info:
flu clinics)
Currently: Written in English
Future Thinking
Future Consideration?
A data audit tool will provide a process to help members measure their current
data against the standards
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Original audit tool developed by Community Information Partners Peel
(CIPP)
Findhelp augmented the CIPP tool with French components, through the
211Ontario.ca project
Future Consideration?
A Communities Table will provide a process to ensure community mapping is
consistent
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Original developed by CIOC
Findhelp augments the communities table
OACCACs have designated this as a requirement
Future Consideration?
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A standard(s) for specific software:
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Offset the potential for fragmentation and additional costs to meet new and
changing standards
Support the automation and implementation of current standards and the
ongoing maintenance of data standards (i.e. potential of one single database)
Future Consideration?
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A standard(s) for regional networks:
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Group members within regional networks for peer support for compliance to
standards
Implement a process to map member service areas across the province (both
I&R service area and data collection area)
• identify gaps in I&R service areas
• identify potential expansion opportunities for data collection
Future Consideration?
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A standard(s) for client/contact tracking
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Set minimum criteria for reporting I&R service delivery, for example:
• Total calls/contacts
• Total website visits
Future Consideration?
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Standard(s) for meeting other specialized data requirements
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For example:
• Pre and post disaster database for 211
• Specific data for CCAC I&R service delivery (e.g. Handyman services)
Future Consideration?
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Creation of an InformOntario Data Management Policy – the policy will
include items which have an impact on data quality. For example:
a) Defined inclusion/exclusion criteria
b) Complaint resolution process (responding to and resolving complaints from
organizations excluded from the database, and those requesting to be
included )
c) Certification of staff (Certified Resource Specialists)
d) Data sharing , one record, one manager, etc.
e) Database maintenance schedule
f) Handling out of date records
g) Researching new programs/services
h) Backup procedures
Future Consideration?
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InformOntario standards for Information and Referral functions
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Ontario-specific I&R standards (example could be Ontario specific
accessibility requirements)
Develop tailored standards for specialized I&R
What’s Next
Approval of the New Standard
Completion of Subject Record(s) standard
InformOntario Standards Tool Kit
Consolidation of all current data management standards and supplemental
information into one place
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Current standards
Best practices
Glossary
Recognition of Achievement
InformOntario Data Standards Designation (i.e. Good Housekeeping Seal of
Approval)
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A recognition/identification of members who have achieved the standards
The End
Questions?
Comments?
Pamela Hillier, Community Connection
[email protected]
Barbara McLachlan, Sykes Telehealth Services
[email protected]