Connecting agencies for stronger dual-system care

THE CHALLENGE

Otter Tail County needed one coordinated system to provide the best support for dual-status youth.

Straddling both the human services and justice legal system creates disproportionate risks for youth caught in this systemic gap — higher detention rates, placement instability and compounded trauma. With evolving laws and a desire to create better outcomes for dual-status youth, Otter Tail County adopted the RFK national resource center for Juvenile Justice model.

To effectively adopt the model, Otter Tail County needed to unify the separate silos of the human services and justice legal systems. It needed an experienced, innovative partner to create and deliver a superior, connected system and coordinated workflows — and a solution that brought immediate results.  

THE APPROACH

Wipfli and Microsoft built a single platform solution to facilitate effective and efficient communication and collaboration.

Aligned with the Administration for Children and Families guidance on more flexible, modular and interoperable systems, Wipfli worked hand in hand with Otter Tail County and Microsoft to create a modern, modular and innovative approach in a record four months.

The team:

• Enabled human-centered design to reimagine the future state of coordinated collaboration through a single platform.
• Trained staff on the technology and streamlined workflows.
• Tailored training to develop staff self-sufficiency and confidence to manage future technology and process enhancements.
• Created a single platform solution with Microsoft Power Apps and Power Automate integrated applications using Microsoft Power Platform
• Integrated real-time data across multiple government systems while maintaining secure handling of sensitive data.
• Created a scalable structure to enable broader application to additional jurisdictions.
• Designed systems and workflows to maintain human oversight.
• Prioritized trusted data and secure governance and integrated Microsoft platforms as the foundation for responsible AI adoption.
• Aligned approach with Microsoft’s Responsible AI principles to help ensure governance, transparency and accountability are established before introducing higher levels of AI-driven automation.
• Provided continued support after initial launch, including expanding the platform utilization to the coordinated response and community re-entry programs.

THE RESULTS

A single, multi-agency Microsoft platform enables faster, data-driven decisions to best serve Otter Tail County’s at-risk youth.

With Wipfli’s support, Otter Tail County gained:

• Tools to reduce recidivism: Real-time data integration across multiple government systems enables better support for vulnerable youth. The agencies now have visibility into cross-system data to support safety, case management, court involvement, behavioral health, family support, placement, transition planning and re-entry.
• Measurable public outcomes: Modernizing critical government services in just months exceeded stakeholders’ expectations. It has new solutions to reduce costs, improve citizen services and strengthen government capabilities, thereby improving how agencies serve vulnerable children and families.
• Scalable architecture: The county is already using its Microsoft database to support its high-risk individuals and community re-entry programs. The repeatable model increases the county’s return on investment.
• Foundation for future AI applications: The way the capabilities are built provides the organization with a foundation for future responsible AI applications.

Wipfli’s innovation and Microsoft’s platform enable Otter Tail County to increase its impact on citizens. The county rapidly translated its newfound multi-agency visibility into direct support for its vulnerable youth.