Healthy and Safe Communities

Summary of objective implementation status

Anti-Racist Results-Based Accountability (AR-RBA) will be used for planning, reporting, and monitoring/tracking of performance measures of County programs and contracts with plans for complete adoption in the next 2-4 years. By incorporating AR-RBA into programs and contracted services, the County will more effectively evaluate program performance and participant outcomes.

An Upstream Investments staff member (.5 FTE PPEA) has been dedicated to support the cross-departmental implementation. In addition, a time-limited position on the Office of Equity team was approved in February 2023 and began the position in November 2023.

In June 2024, Upstream staff completed a survey of demographic data collection within the Human Services Department (HSD) in order to crosswalk race and ethnicity categories across data systems. That survey was then implemented within the Probation Department by Office of Equity Staff. The Department of Health Services (DHS) is in the process of developing a similar survey. The surveillance of all data collection systems in use by HSD was more time-consuming than initially estimated, however, it’s likely that the crosswalk of race and ethnicity categories for the data systems in use in DHS will be completed before mid-2025.

It has been difficult to scale AR-RBA to fidelity across all safety net department contracts. In FY 24-25, HSD began to include AR-RBA requirements in all contracts as a matter of regular practice. However, the AR-RBA framework is not appropriate for every contract. AR-RBA works best for performance management when the contract is with an agency (rather than an individual) for a program (rather than a more transactional service). A small number of contracts using AR-RBA within HSD were not appropriate contracts for the framework and have been removed from the implementation. Similarly, the Department of Child Support Services was using AR-RBA to manage a Memorandum of Understanding with HSD’s Employment & Training Division, an inefficient use of the AR-RBA framework. This contract has also been removed from the implementation. All departments using AR-RBA for contract management are implementing the framework more slowly than they are including requirements in contracts. Contract managers are unable to implement AR-RBA in many of their contracts simultaneously without a decrease in quality that would significantly impact the effectiveness of the framework.

Data entry has been another area of concern for the implementation of AR-RBA. Despite reminders, some data in the Clear Impact Scorecard is overdue by a significant period of time (up to one year in some cases). Upstream staff continues to follow up with contract managers and other safety department staff assigned to data entry, however, timely data entry has proven to be an ongoing difficulty.

Despite the challenges that have arisen in the implementation of AR-RBA for contract management, progress continues to be made on this goal area and goal area 2.2. Contract managers across safety net departments have become more energized to use AR-RBA and department leadership has expanded their understanding of and buy-in to the framework. Upstream staff is supporting contract managers to begin their implementation of AR-RBA and then scale that implementation across additional programs and contracts.

In FY 24-25, Upstream staff has seen renewed energy from contract managers. This fiscal year, contract managers from different departments and divisions are coming together to leverage collective experiences in AR-RBA implementation and to collaborate when working with the same agencies across more than one contract and when working with similar programs across more than one contract. These connections are not only moving this work forward, they are deepening the work and further embedding it as foundational to contract management. Even when AR-RBA is not implemented to fidelity, or data is not reported on time, contract managers are having conversations about equity, considering the stories behind the data, and thinking about how to amplify what’s working and change what isn’t. Upstream staff continue to build capacity through trainings and technical assistance, and while this capacity-building is not necessarily currently reflected in the metrics of this goal area and goal area 2.2, this investment will eventually make a measurable impact in the success of the implementation of AR-RBA.

To build on the success and address the challenges facing the implementation of AR-RBA, Upstream staff recommend:

1. Continue to invest time in the AR-RBA Workgroup and subcommittee, in AR-RBA training and technical assistance, and in building connection and community with contract managers and other AR-RBA practitioners
2. Leverage the support of managers and supervisors to enforce the timely entry of data entry into the Clear Impact Scorecard
3. Offer training opportunities for contract managers to practice facilitating data review conversations with contracted agencies, a key aspect of implementing AR-RBA to fidelity
4. Remain flexible about the speed and manner in which AR-RBA is implemented into contracts, leaving room for gradual scaling, learning, and manageable growth

Key milestone update 

Safety net department contracts that are using RBA are being shifted to AR-RBA with full adoption by 2026 for all departments.

The number of County contracts using RBA grew from six contracts in FY 20-21 to 21 contracts in FY 21-22, 53 contracts in FY 22-23, and then to 75 contracts in FY 23-24. In FY 24-25, 19 partner organizations representing 21 programs in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Community Resilience Program (CRP) and 43 County contracts across three departments (HSD, DHS, and the Probation Department) are using AR-RBA for data reporting and outcomes monitoring. The Community Development Commission (CDC) and the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) are no longer using AR-RBA for contracts. CDC Homeless Services contracts that were using AR-RBA are now housed within DHS. DCSS does not have any current contracts appropriate for AR-RBA. Both the CDC and DCSS are using or have interest in using AR-RBA to manage internal program performance and/or for strategic planning.

In FY 23-24, 13 open training sessions were offered to County departments and CBOs to support AR-RBA implementation. A total of 149 unique participants attended. Upstream and Office of Equity staff also provided three closed trainings to specific audiences of County staff and CBO partners. Upstream and Office of Equity staff continue to build on the success of AR-RBA courses and to, develop new courses, and adapt existing courses to meet the changing needs of safety net department staff and CBO partners.

Coordination and partnership update

In addition to offering ongoing training opportunities on AR-RBA, Upstream Investments and Office of Equity staff convene a cross-department AR-RBA Workgroup representing the Human Services Department, Department of Health Services, Probation Department, Community Development Commission, Child Support Services, and Public Defender’s Office on a quarterly basis. The workgroup supports the implementation of AR-RBA across departments, with the goals of maintaining the Clear Impact Scorecard, providing space for group members to grow their AR-RBA knowledge, offering technical assistance, and bringing in CBO voices.

This year, Upstream and Office of Equity staff have convened a subcommittee made up of members of the AR-RBA Workgroup to develop a toolkit providing guidelines and examples for AR-RBA implementation. The toolkit will be made available on SharePoint to all County employees interested in learning more about AR-RBA, looking for language to discuss AR-RBA with their leadership, and needing to troubleshoot common implementation barriers. The development of this toolkit was suggested by members of the subcommittee and is an example of a resource being created as a direct response to the needs of our AR-RBA practitioners.

Community, equity and climate update

To support the County’s commitment to equity, contracts using RBA have shifted or are shifting to AR-RBA. New and renewed contracts contain AR-RBA requirements rather than RBA requirements.

Data collection trainings and improvements are also focused on equity, including the ongoing assessment of demographic data collection methods across the safety net departments.

Objective funding

In requesting Strategic Plan funding support for year two, HSD Upstream Investments staff worked with the Office of Equity as well as the County Administrator’s Office to consolidate all RBA activities and work into one funding request (1.0 FTE PPEA and 1.0 FTE Admin Aide) for ongoing support of Anti-Racist-RBA implementation and to meet the goal of full adoption by 2026. Part of that funding request (1.0 FTE PPEA with the Office of Equity) was approved and the position started in December 2023. One PPEA located in HSD continues to support this work half-time.