PROJECT GATEWAY

Department of
Human Services
Agency Review
 
Submitted to Governor-elect Spencer J. Cox, Lt. Governor-elect Deidre M. Henderson, and the
Project Gateway leadership team

Prepared & Submitted by:

● Lisa Adams (Chair)

● Gary Porter
● Erin Jemison

Transmittal Note

This transmission memo includes recommendations from a Project Gateway team for the
Cox-Henderson gubernatorial transition. The ideas, recommendations, and insights are
presented for discussion purposes only and do not represent the policies of the new
administration. The information does, however, provide valuable insights from a talented and
committed group of volunteers. Each idea, recommendation, and insight can inform leadership
decisions about state government in the coming years.

Submitted December 7, 2020

Department of Human Services Review

Committee Members:
Lisa R. Adams, Chair
Former Salt Lake City Council member
Former Government Relations Representative to the UN for Latter-day Saint Charities

Gary B. Porter
Sr. Vice President
Deseret Management Corp.

Erin Jemison
Manager
Crime and Justice Institute

Scope/Method
Using the template provided by Project Gateway, and supplementing that template with
additional questions, we sent a questionnaire to each director/division head listed on the
department organizational chart. We also sent a shorter version to randomly selected
employees in each division in order to determine if what we learned from leadership would
mirror what we would hear from “rank and file” employees.
After reviewing the responses, we spent an hour interviewing the Executive Director, Ann
Silverberg Williamson. She answered questions and clarified our understanding of DHS.

Summary Statement
● The Department of Human Services’ purpose is to strengthen individuals and families to
safely thrive in their homes, workplaces, schools, and communities.
● Vision is to increase in-home services, reduce out-of-home placement, and increase
access to prevention services across the state.
● Strategic plan is in place and being pursued.
● Executive director is leading out on vision and strategy.
● They are doing their job well, with some notable exceptions (see action items)
● Boards and commissions are regularly evaluated for appropriateness and usefulness.
Some are required by statute. The Department is alert to opportunities to trim excess in
this area, by asking questions like, “Is this board/committee required by statute, if it is
not, is there a useful function and purpose for it? Is this board or committee the right
size? Is this board or committee representing a variety of points of view and life
experiences?”
People of the Agency
● Workforce: across the board, those who work for DHS are committed to helping those
they are charged with assisting some of our most vulnerable citizens. There is universal

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 acknowledgement that these employees are not given many opportunities for career
advancement. A salary survey comparing positions to the market should be conducted.
● Leadership: Consistently receives excellent reviews for vision, caring, and a willingness
to lead out on best practices.
● Management:
o Most is viewed as qualified with strong skills, with some exceptions.
o One respondent noted that two hires in one division went to people who
were known to the person making the decision to hire, without looking
beyond the division.
o Another respondent hoped for greater transparency from management as
a way to provide security and greater trust.
● Morale:
o Because most of those who work for DHS are “givers” by nature, the
majority we heard from like their jobs and feel like they make a difference
for good in the lives of those they serve.
o There was ready acknowledgement that given the nature of the work, it is
easy to feel stressed and overwhelmed.
o One respondent noted reaching out for mental help counseling and felt
that which was offered was not helpful. Respondent noted that it may
have just been a “bad fit,” but would not be likely to seek help again.
o Majority of respondents report favorable response to teleworking.
o Low pay/high turnover is a major source of low morale.
o Near universal praise for ED and the direction she is taking DHS.
● Public Perception of Agency
o Is “brand” looked upon favorably?
▪ This is a department that is highly regarded nationally for a number of the
programs and policies they have implemented. However, locally, given
the nature of the work, DHS is often portrayed in a less than favorable
light.
▪ Major strides have been made under Ann Williamson
▪ Because of privacy concerns, it is often difficult to defend the actions of
DHS in the public arena.
▪ Office of Licensing has had high turnover at the top (four directors in
seven years) and has often come under fire in the media. The current
director is addressing “change fatigue” and this division seems to be
headed in the right direction.
▪ COVID has made the work of OOL especially challenging, as on-site
reviews are limited and have been done virtually, making it easy for an
agency to only show the best of their work.
▪ A larger staff would give OOL the ability to make unannounced visits, and
do those with greater frequency, post-COVID, such inspections would

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 give greater credibility to OOL and likely improve the confidence of the
public in those being licensed.
o Customer Satisfaction
▪ If an individual welcomes the help of DHS, the “customer satisfaction” is
generally high, with the exception of long wait times to receive help.
▪ If an individual or family, does not want DHS involved in their lives, the
“customer satisfaction,” at least initially, is low.
▪ Agencies, care facilities who need licensing, are often suspicious and
resentful of DHS.
● Policies of the Agency
o Policies, procedures
▪ There are clear policies in place, which are well articulated and
administered.
▪ DHS has been very pro-active in developing protocols for teleworking.
▪ Given the size of the division, there are always some areas that need
improvement.
o COVID-19 Response
▪ DHS has done an excellent job in adapting to COVID for employees.
▪ COVID response has been much more difficult for those served by DHS,
as remote check-ins do not always allow for an accurate picture (as noted
in licensure,) nor does a remote check-in allow for the same relationship
building with vulnerable clients.
▪ Many clients are at high risk for contracting COVID— those at state
facilities, in particular.
● Action Items
o Election to Inauguration
▪ Make decisions about who will be retained, as soon as possible, to give
certainty and security to employees. If people need to be looking for jobs,
they want to know sooner rather than later.
▪ Review assessment reports and create action plan.
▪ Support consistent leadership for agencies that are performing well,
pursuing innovative approaches to complex issues, and serve as a
national model for evidence-based outcomes (e.g., DHS) while focusing
attention and resources instead on those that are underperforming and
face challenges in delivering upon the state’s investment in their work
▪ Create a plan for vaccinating those receiving services from DHS,
particularly those at USH and USDC.
o First 200 Days
▪ Set priorities for mission, people, and resources.
▪ Identify legislative priorities, legislators to sponsor bills (look for
bi-partisan sponsors.) Funding for updating technology, increased pay for
caseworkers and frontline personnel.

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 ▪ Assess changes in both policy and practice made in response to COVID
that should be continued as the state moves into post-pandemic recovery
(for DHS, the focus of these changes seem to be on increasing
community/home-based service delivery)
▪ Prepare a department-wide, short survey, to be taken by all employees.
Determine if there is a way to allow them to answer anonymously.
Consider questions similar to those created by this team. Short and direct.
▪ Plan implementation of continuing education for all employees.
o Next Ten Years
▪ Continuously educate public on vision and progress.
▪ Continue on the path of bold leadership and build upon current
momentum in the department of finding innovative, proactive, and
evidence-based approaches to delivering human services in Utah
▪ Work to find the balance between transparency and privacy of served
populations.
▪ Establish and maintain employee reviews, including exit interviews, on a
scheduled basis. (Annually?)
● Other Observations and Recommendations
o Low pay among entry-level employees leads to high turnover in areas where
clients would benefit by having consistency. (DCFS caseworkers, guardians,
frontline employees at USH and USDC, particularly.)
o Some caseworkers work multiple jobs in order to make ends meet and even
need government assistance. A state job should provide a living wage.
o The 2020 legislature had allocated funds to help DHS address low pay, but those
funds were withdrawn when COVID hit. Taking away those funds contributed to
low morale in the department.
o When DHS is forced to choose between providing services to clients and
updating technology, clients always win, which is good. However, this has led to
outdated systems that create problems and do not serve those working for DHS,
nor its clients, well.
o Consider funding technology in a specific bill, ear marked for technology
upgrades, rather than allowing money to be utilized elsewhere in the DHS.
o The silver lining to COVID is discovering how well teleworking works. Because of
teleworking, DHS can hire employees who live in rural Utah and more accurately
reflect the citizens who do not live along the Wasatch Front.
o DHS should continue to maximize the opportunities afforded by teleworking.

Cox-Henderson Transition Team

Observations and Insights/In Depth Executive Summary
Utah Department of Human Services (DHS)

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Executive Summary
Observations and Insights by Gary Porter- Black
Observations and Insights by Erin Jemison- Red
Observations and Insights by Lisa Adams- Green
Each committee member reviewed six or seven divisions, and the overall department.

Department of Human Services, As a Whole

The Department
● Is one of the largest departments in Utah State Government
● Achieves its mission best by serving individuals where they are, reducing the need
for and dependence upon institutional care
● Has made significant progress in recent years in the quality of personal care and the
ability to provide help to people in their own homes and families.

● Has a strong reputation, is trusted in the community and by other state agencies, and
is known for navigating challenges while staying focused on moving forward toward
long-term, positive outcomes for the state—an improvement that was noted by
multiple stakeholders as occurring over the past 5 or so years. Words consistently
used to describe DHS and its current leadership from external stakeholders:
responsive, collaborative, inviting, positive, proactive, visionary, compassionate,
supportive, open to change, thoughtful, deliberative, innovative.

● Has made major strides in service delivery under Ann Williamson’s leadership.
● With so many divisions, cross division collaboration is an ongoing challenge. There
is some resistance to sharing information and working together, due to some
“ownership” issues with some divisions-- “this is my area, leave it alone.” This
attitude is not widespread, but evidence of it surfaced in some responses.

● Is led by Ann Silverberg Williamson, who has been its executive director for 7 years,
and who enjoys a solid reputation in the community and is highly respected among
peers
o Is also highly regarded as an exceptional leader among her subordinates.

o Utilizes a hands-on approach to leadership that is effective in facilitating her

vision of a department that is more holistic and comprehensive in its delivery
of human services across the state (a vision that is shared among leaders in
the department and across DHS divisions.)
o Articulates a compelling need for DHS to respond to the needs of Utahns with
a recognition that the various issues addressed by each division often
overlap, and therefore outcome-driven services must be similarly more
coordinated and mutually reinforcing than traditional state systems which
have been historically and structurally fragmented.

o Is consistently held in high regard among her division directors, in the

community, and by lower-level employees. Of note is that lower level
employees give Ann the benefit of the doubt. If something is not being
addressed, there is confidence that it will be, if brought to the ED’s attention.
She is recognized as working to consistently improve DHS.

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Current strengths among DHS divisions
● Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) is more focused on prevention and early
intervention to care for the whole family, disrupt intergenerational trauma, and utilize
evidence-based approaches to keep families together while helping them be stronger,
safer, and more connected to resources in their own communities.
● Juvenile Justice Services (JJS) considered a national model in decreasing the use of
secure detention settings, instead utilizing research-based practices to decrease risk for
youth while increasing safety for communities.
● Utah State Hospital settlement has led to a more holistic and transparent approach to
providing services and a decrease in the criminalization of mental illness across our
state.

Areas of focus for ongoing improvement

● DPDS continues to experience increases in the population and demand for services and
costs to provide those services. There may be opportunities to expand changes that
have been made in response to COVID so that more informal, home-based care can be
supported through state resources rather than depending solely on more expensive and
less desired congregate care settings to serve people with disabilities.
● Explore approaches for delivering services in the communities where people live,
including in rural areas.

Current Strengths Among DHS Divisions

● Office of Operational Excellence (housed in ED’s office)has increased capacity and
improved performance in terms of client outcomes and experiences.
● Communications (housed in ED’s office) has dramatically improved internal and public
messaging. Expanded role far beyond media relations.

Areas of Focus for Ongoing Improvement

● Needed consistency in procedures and practices across divisions; better coordination
and collaboration across divisions.
● Streamline access to services
● Keep workforce by offering better compensation, ongoing training, opportunities for
advancement.

Workforce
● Case workers carry heavy workloads and perform their work under difficult and
complex circumstances
● High stress levels, being on call 24/7, and relatively low compensation has led to
high turnover rates among many of the divisions
● Some long-term employees have been transferred within the department several
times and are functioning below expectations because their skills are inadequate for
their current assignments.

● Respect and appreciation for leadership across divisions and the entire department
is notable and staff consistently recognize that despite the stress and difficulties
encountered this year due to COVID-19 and other challenges, DHS leadership is
transparent, innovative, supportive, and collaborative as it navigates the daily ups
and downs of delivering critical services.

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 ● Across all divisions—even those which do not include direct service and other
frontline case workers—staff and leaders consistently and urgently raised the issue
of low compensation for extremely difficult and critical positions who provide the
direct care and services to Utahns in need of DHS programs. These workforce
turnover issues are more costly to the state in the long run, while also impacting the
quality of services that can be provided due to lack of on-the-job experience.

● High turnover is generally the result of low pay and failure to offer additional training
that adds value to what each employee has to offer. High regard for leadership from
the ED, but great frustration with the legislature’s unwillingness to offer better
compensation and fund continuing education for front line workers. High praise for
handling of COVID and teleworking opportunities. Some employees have been
moved around and risen to the “level of their incompetence.” Predictability and
consistency is highly valued.

Support Resources
● Information and Technology systems are outdated, and some are at risk of failure.
● Budget constraints have made it difficult to keep up with current technology, needed
staff, and competitive compensation.
● Work is underway to move to a cloud-based system.

● Department leaders recognize that the historical inclination of human services

administrators to focus on people and the services needed has led to a severe
underinvestment in the technology and systems needed to more efficiently and
effectively deliver these services.
● One component of improving these systems that is particularly important is the need
to decrease redundancy in requesting critical data from individuals and families who
are receiving DHS services. If this data can be shared across systems, while
ensuring data privacy and with ongoing permission from customers, it will increase
time efficiency and continuity of operations while reducing cost, the chances of data
entry errors, and frustration for both service providers and recipients.
● Moving to a cloud-based system is taking too long and leaving the Management
Information Center without enough work.

Actions to be Taken
● Election Day to Inauguration:
● Review assessment reports and create action plan.

● Support consistent leadership for agencies that are performing well, pursuing
innovative approaches to complex issues, and serve as a national model for
evidence-based outcomes (e.g., DHS) while focusing attention and resources
instead on those that are underperforming and face challenges in delivering upon the
state’s investment in their work.

● Make decisions about who is staying and who is leaving, sooner rather than later, so
employees, top to bottom, know what to anticipate.

● First 200 Days in Office:

● Set priorities for mission, people, and resources.

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 ● Assess changes in both policy and practice made in response to COVID that should
be continued as the state moves into post-pandemic recovery (for DHS, the focus of
these changes seem to be on increasing community/home-based service delivery.)

● Identify legislative priorities, bill sponsors, work across the aisle.

● Next 10 years:
● Continuously educate public on vision and progress.

● Continue on the path of bold leadership and build upon current momentum in the
department of finding innovative, proactive, and evidence-based approaches to
delivering human services in Utah.

● Work to find the balance between transparency and privacy of served populations;
establish and maintain employee reviews, on a predictable basis.

Division Observations and Assessments

Executive Division
The Division
● Performs well at Federal Grant Management
● Is effective with media and communications
● Successfully manages a large and diverse portfolio
Workforce
● Is stable in most areas but face hiring challenges due to unfavorable pay scales
● Needs improved oversight of contract providers
● Has successfully transitioned to remote work during COVID-19

Support Resources
● Additional resources are needed to recruit and train additional finance staff
● Boards and Commissions need evaluation to see if they are still viable
● Needs additional budget for compensation and training

Office of Licensing
The Division
● Enjoys good collaboration with other divisions within DHS
● Takes a reasonable approach to licensing and spends much time offering technical
assistance to clients
● Adapted well to increased duties, such as certifying homes and day treatment settings
for individuals with disabilities
● Needs improved data management and professional training for staff
Workforce:
● Has history of high turnover – 4 directors in the past 7 years
● Needs additional professional training, both initially and ongoing
● Has 4 vacant positions due to budget constraints
● Developed a culture of innovation to improve efficiency to stay withing budget
Support Resources
● Needs additional budget to operate a fully functioning program

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 ● Needs improved Information Technology system
● Needs additional human resource

Fiscal Audit
The Bureau
● Specializes in fraud investigations, conflicts of interest, compliance, and IT Reviews
● Operates cooperatively with the Attorney General’s Office
● Enjoys enough autonomy to fulfil responsibilities with appropriate independence
● Needs policy updates to harmonize with the most recent version of the audit charter
Workforce
● Has 5 FTE currently but should have 12 according to legal fiscal analyst’s report
● Enjoys a mature workforce; three of the staff each have over 35 years of experience
● Is operating below expectations due to small staff
● Experiencing relatively high morale even with the low number of staff
Support Resources
● Needs additional human resource

Information Technology
IT Governance/Systems
● Has made great progress over the past six years with collaboration and customer service
● Still has many legacy systems that need upgrading and/or replacement
● In process of moving applications to the cloud
Workforce
● Needs additional training on new technologies and systems
● Needs to recruit additional qualified staff
● Has had to resort to hiring contract employees to get qualified staff
Support Resources
● Needs additional budget for personnel
● Needs investment in current information/communication technologies

Office of Fiscal Operations

Bureau of Contract Management and Bureau of Finance
● Enjoys a reputation of excellent customer service and timely reporting
● Collaborates well with Executive Director’s office and divisions
● Experiencing impaired ability to monitor department transactions due to budget cuts
Workforce
● Has an experienced, strong, and highly skilled leadership team
● Needs more equitable compensation to recruit and retain staff
● Experiencing large workloads with added pressure from COVID-19
● Needs more clarity regarding roles between divisions (OQD &BCM)
Support Resources
● More consistent use of technology is needed throughout the department
● Additional budget is needed for compensation and recruitment of qualified employees
● Policy document needs updating for better alignment with current processes

Community Partnership Assessments

● The department is well respected in the community among other human services
institutions
● Examples include:
● The Children’s Center

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 ● Intermountain Health Care
● Ann’s professionalism, cooperation, and leadership, is especially appreciated

Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DPDS)

The Division
● Provides quality services through Medicaid-funded programs that serve over 6,000
individuals with disabilities across the state
● Is focused on empowering individuals and their families to be as independent and
connected to community services as possible
● Utilizes Person-Centered Planning practices and promotes equity and inclusion for
people with disabilities
● Experiences an ongoing wait list for services, with increasing demand and cost without a
consummate increase in budget
Workforce
● Includes people with disabilities and others with lived experience, which brings critical
skills and perspectives to the DPDS workforce
● Is comprised of dedicated people who stay in positions long-term, but hiring and wages
are challenging given small administrative budget
● Is continually asked to serve more people but without additional staff or resources
Support Resources
● Needs resources to focus on outreach and prevention of a crisis before it occurs
● Workforce infrastructure and service delivery models need to shift in order to increase
access to home and community-based services
● Assistive technology and remote support services must be increased in order to
intervene in less intrusive ways and increase independence for service recipients

Utah State Developmental Center (USDC)

The Center
● Provides critical, comprehensive services to the state’s most impaired and clinically
complex individuals who cannot be successfully cared for in less intensive settings in the
community or other private care facilities
● Has made progress in utilizing data to drive decisions and deliver services to individuals
who live with significant intellectual and developmental disability, and usually with
co-morbid medical and psychiatric conditions
● Is continually working toward decreasing fragmentation of services and increasing
continuity of care both within the institution and across the various services provided to
this population
Workforce:
● Is open to learning and has embraced evidence-based change in the last year, but
needs enhance training opportunities
● Needs higher skilled, more experienced direct care staff to respond to demanding and
complex work, which requires an improved pay structure
● Has almost 50 unfilled direct care positions due to steep competition from private
agencies who offer higher pay
● Is often required to work overtime due to high turnover and unfilled positions
Support Resources
● Needs additional budget to address significant understaffing of direct care positions
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 ● Needs ongoing support to move fully into utilizing the most current and evidence-based
practices
● Economic and population growth is leading to increased need for USDC services, so
resources must match those needs and demands (including up-to-date practices and
more skilled direct care) staff

Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS)

The Division
● Focuses on strengthening families and assisting parents with safely caring for their own
child to prevent separation and removal to foster care
● Benefits from federal funding to provide evidence-based interventions that prevent the
need for foster care services (only the second jurisdiction in the country to be approved
for this funding)
● Is committed to community- and family-led interventions where stakeholder and family
perspectives are prioritized and collaboration is embraced for the benefit of children and
families
Workforce:
● Has history of high turnover among frontline employees/caseworkers due to low pay
● Is largely comprised of new graduates and workers who haven’t had the time and
experience to develop knowledge and skills needed to respond to challenging and
complex situations
● Is limited by continuous employee recruitment and training which impacts families served
● Was intended to benefit from a compensation growth plan and initial investment of
$2.2M from the 2020 legislature to address the above challenges, but it was rescinded
due to COVID-19 budgetary concerns
Support Resources
● Needs additional budget to alleviate ongoing strain on system capacity
● Ongoing focus on strengthening and support the entire family and the adults in a child’s
life
● Needs to improve the transition from foster care into loving, permanent, and safe living
environments for children who are unable to reunify with their families of origin

Office of Quality and Design (OQD)

The Office
● Was formed in 2018 with existing staff to integrate related functions as part of overall
efforts to decrease fragmentation across divisions within DHS and more effectively and
efficiently realize the Department’s mission
● Is responsible for service design and development, contract development/administration/
monitoring, provider relations, clinical guidance and support, internal services review,
fatality review, and conflict investigations (including Child Protection Ombudsman)
● Has made significant process toward transforming DHS services to be more integrated
across divisions and with community service providers and more effectively evaluated in
order to improve learning, accountability, and overall quality and outcomes achieved
Workforce:
● Is generally strong, with some turnover on the Child Protection Services Conflict
Investigations team
● Has a few current vacancies due to COVID-19 budget constraints
● Meets its goals with a lean team and budget
Support Resources

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 ● Needs ongoing support to continue to define the office’s role and strengthen buy-in from
all divisions
● Quality and outcome measures are still needed in some areas
● Needs increased flexibility and removal of fiscal constraints so DHS can move funding
from one division to another in order to meet needs while maintaining transparency and
accountability to Governor’s office and legislature

Utah State Hospital (USH)

The Hospital
● Provides inpatient care to promote quality of life for individuals with mental illness, with
services for adults, children, and court-ordered individuals (forensic services)
● Focuses on evidence-based outcomes and high quality services
● Collaborates well with community partners and other stakeholders
Workforce:
● Is committed to providing high quality care
● Has been especially impacted by COVID-19 and accompanying stress has been difficult
on morale
Support Resources
● Needs more clear and consistent messaging about the value it provides, especially to
Governor’s office and legislature
● Needs behavioral health staff (there is a shortage in the state in general, partly due to
undervaluing and low pay compared with physical healthcare workers)
● Overall increased focus on prevention and early intervention to prevent costly use of
resources to intervene in mental health crisis (USH, hospital emergency departments,
jail/prison, homeless shelters, government assistance generally)

Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH)

The Division
● Provides prevention, treatment, and recovery support services for individuals who
experience substance abuse and/or mental health challenges
● Engages with public and private partners to improve individual mental well-being through
policy guidance and monitoring/overseeing evidence-based practices (does not provide
direct services)
● Oversees county contracts with Local Mental Health & Substance Abuse Authorities who
are statutorily directed to provide services for mental health and substance misuse
services in their geographic areas
● Has been impactful with systems change through collaboration and partnerships but
needs to improve information and data collection from behavioral health providers,
increase links between physical healthcare and other providers who can intervene early,
and increase access to behavioral health intervention when less restrictive and more
cost-effective levels of care are possible
Workforce:
● Is impacted by overall state government workforce challenges around employees aging
and retiring, but historically has low turnover and high morale
● Has an overall shortage due to reduced benefits and challenges competing with both
private sector wages and opportunities for career advancement
● Experiences enhanced challenges with specialized roles like early childhood providers
due to private sector competition
Support Resources
● Ongoing support from policymakers and higher education institutions to find creative
approaches for licensure and certification and increase career pathways
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 ● Explore combining the Forensic Mental Health Coordinating Council (FMHCC) and the
Utah Substance Use and Mental Health Advisory Council (USAAV+) or shift FHMCC to
operate as a committee of USAAV+
● Overall behavioral health system (mental health and substance use disorders) need to
be funded at comparable levels as physical healthcare (continually underfunding these
services uniquely increases costs in every other government agency and service)

Division of Juvenile Justice Services (JJS)

The Division
● Strives to be a leader in the field of juvenile justice by changing young lives and
supporting families while keeping communities safe through intervention and prevention
services, supervision (detention, community placements, long-term secure care), and
rehabilitation programs (aftercare and parole) for youth offenders
● Has met the call for reform of juvenile justice reform and is now looked upon as a
national model for reducing detention and secure care of youth, preventing separation of
youth from their families and communities, and providing services that strengthen youth,
their families, and communities
● Shifted over 60 staff and $25M from providing services in locked detention facilities to
providing them in the community, resulting in a 25% reduction in youth risk to reoffend
● Utilizes a trauma-informed approach and partners with community services to serve
youth and their families in their homes, schools, and communities rather than in
detention facilities
● Needs to continue to improve and increase opportunities for youth to inform and provide
input on the care received

Workforce:
● Is diverse and seasoned, supported by staff well-being programs to address secondary
trauma due to the nature of their work
● Benefits from strong supervisors and leaders across the division, using a lean
management approach
● Faces current morale challenges due to being essential in-person workers during
COVID-19
● Parallels other DHS divisions in that turnover is high in entry level positions due to low
pay
Support Resources
● Needs to recruit mentors with lived experience to support youth transitioning out of JJS
care
● Ongoing focus on racial and ethnic disparities within the population served by JJS
● Create a “credible messenger” initiative where mentors who have lived experience with
and in these state systems (justice, education, welfare, etc.) help lead, guide, and
support others to successfully navigate through and out of these systems to live
independent, successful lives

Office of the Public Guardian (OPG)

The Division
● Provides resources and education to the community, works well with other agencies and
community partners; advocate for OPG clients
● Consistently explore less restrictive alternatives.
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 ● Actively seeks to locate family members or others to serve as guardians, rather than the
state.
Workforce
● Understaffed for a growing population. Specialized training is needed, so efforts to
retain employees is cost effective.
● Dedicated staff who care about clients/

Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS)

The Division
● Communicates and coordinates with partners.
● Efficient at facilitating providers with what they need to carry service to clients.
● Responds to and manages Adult Protective Services cases.
Workforce
● Understaffed for a growing senior population.
● Would like to offer incentives to help retain workforce.

Executive Director’s Office​

The Department
● Prioritizes services that enable individuals/families to thrive in the least restrictive setting;
supports evidence-based interventions; strives for an exceptional level of compliance
and transparency in business operations.
● Leads major initiatives to help improve the lives of Utahns (Suicide Prevention, Child
Abuse Prevention, Seniors)
Workforce
● Consistently praises director for leadership, listening, compassion, vision.

Communications​
The Division
● Produces high quality, low-cost communication materials.
● Utilizes internal stakeholders for communication.
● Engagement with partner/provider/stake holders from department level as a unified
voice.
● Legislative and Stakeholder Relations​ works with policymakers during the leg session
and interim; work closely with stakeholders in child abuse prevention, substance abuse,
mental health.
Workforce
● Small team, housed in ED’s office.
● Skilled
● Efficient and innovative

Operational Excellence​
The Division (Housed in ED’s Office)
● Has led nationally in several areas: child welfare system, men’s jail-based forensic psych
unit.
● Significantly improved the way it works with contracted providers.
● Reduced redundancies and some silos in business operations.
Workforce
● No staff

Legislative and Stakeholder Relations​

The Division

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 ● Works with policymakers during the legislative session and interim.
● Works closely with stakeholders in child abuse prevention, substance abuse, mental
health.
Workforce
● Director is only employee.

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