Worker Connect: A Critical Tool for the City’s Frontline Workers
A dementia-addled woman enters a Bronx emergency room. Unable to communicate with her effectively, hospital staff struggle to confirm her identity. Her assigned social worker, confronted with this challenge, logs into Worker Connect and enters the little information she can gather about the woman from their interaction. Figuring that this may not be the first time the woman has been in need of assistance, the social worker hopes a quick search in Worker Connect might provide clues to identify the woman. Within minutes of her search, the social worker is able to confirm the woman’s name, contact her next of kin and set a service plan in motion to provide appropriate care while eagerly awaiting the arrival of several relieved family members.
Each day caseworkers across New York City assist thousands of residents in need of City services and public benefits. To do so, workers must often collect information and documentation from prospective and existing clients to determine their eligibility for these assistance programs. Sometimes this information may be missing, inaccessible, or stored across separate agency client information systems that do not communicate with one another. For some of the City’s most vulnerable, missing data and documentation can be a critical barrier to getting the help they need.
Worker Connect, a digital tool operated by the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity (NYC Opportunity), is designed to help caseworkers overcome these information hurdles. The Worker Connect system communicates securely with several other City agency systems. If a client has received, or is receiving, services from one of these agencies, Worker Connect can provide a consolidated snapshot of program and household data from those systems on a single screen. It can also retrieve copies of documents that may have been used previously to verify eligibility for other program benefits. Using this information, the City’s network of social workers and care providers can expedite the process of connecting individuals and families with income assistance, emergency shelter, employment opportunities, health services, and other help.
While the tool promotes data sharing and information transparency among City agencies, access to this information is governed by strict legal and regulatory guidelines. Worker Connect operates in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations and user access is vetted through a rigorous legal review process. NYC Opportunity is strongly committed to only allowing data to be shared in ways that respect and protect client privacy. To this end, the system operates with policies, procedures and technologies designed to maintain and protect data confidentiality. Worker Connect users’ access to the system is strictly controlled, so they are only able to see data approved for their agency or department.
With Worker Connect, New York City has been able to make tremendous strides towards breaking down information silos and empowering caseworkers with better information to help their clients. The City’s long-term vision is to leverage tools like Worker Connect to establish a client-centric, holistic approach to human services administration and benefits access, using an exchange of relevant data to link clients with services and information across programs.
To learn more, read about the Worker Connect tool here.
