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background checks are performed annually
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children in Washington’s foster care system
The challenge
Washington DCYF wanted a modular solution to accelerate advancement in its critical background-check process.
To protect the more than 12,000 children in its foster care system, the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families processes more than 310,000 background checks per year. These checks help determine whether individuals who care for, support or work with children can do so safely.
The background checks were handled by an outside provider, leaving the organization to contend with disconnected systems, limited visibility into progress and cumbersome manual intervention. This slowed the background check process and increased the agency’s costs.
Background checks are a key step in helping vulnerable children find safe homes. How could the agency create a more efficient and effective background check process?
The solution
Wipfli, Microsoft and Washington DCYF created a platform and cost-effective approach to modernize the background check process.
With five decades of human services experience and deep knowledge of Microsoft technologies, Wipfli was the clear choice to partner with. Aligned with the Administration for Children and Families guidance on more flexible, modular and interoperable systems, Wipfli worked hand in hand with Washington DCYF 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 bringing the background check process in-house.
- Trained staff on the technology and streamlined workflows.
- Tailored training to develop staff self-sufficiency and confidence to manage future technology and process enhancements.
- Combined Microsoft Power Apps, Power Pages and Power Automate with Azure integration to create a secure, end-to-end background check platform that resided entirely within the Microsoft Government Cloud.
- Underpinned the process with Azure Functions, Azure App Services, Azure SQL Database, Logic App and Blob.
- Secured the process using Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Azure Firewall and Application Gateway. Azure DevOps and GitHub supported modern application life cycle management.
- Prioritized trusted data and secure governance and integrated Microsoft platforms as the foundation for responsible AI adoption.
- Provided continued support after initial launch.
- Designed a plan to integrate all six critical government data sources to provide near real-time information through a single Microsoft-powered platform.
Wipfli has been an exceptional partner in helping Washington State DCYF modernize one of our most critical services. Their deep understanding of human services, combined with the strong Microsoft expertise, enabled them to rapidly design and deliver a solution that transformed a previously manual, time-intensive background check into a streamlined, scalable digital service.
The results
Modernizing the background check process fully within the Microsoft Government Cloud enables Washington DCYF to save a projected $1 million in operating costs and reduce processing from days and weeks to hours.
With Wipfli’s support, Washington DCYF:
- Is projected to save nearly $1 million in annual operating costs: Bringing the background check process in-house simplified workflows by connecting systems and eliminating manual interventions. It also provided visibility, letting the organization track the progress of each background check.
- Reduced background check answers from multiple days and weeks to an expected turnaround time of less than a few hours: Not only will the improved process enable faster decisions, but it will also provide additional data to help create safer placements.
- Gained the advantage of modernization in a record four months: The modular approach pioneered by Wipfli and Microsoft enabled the strategic use of Washington’s over $50 million Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System. Modernization efforts like this can often take years.
- Added a proven approach to apply to more strategic modernization initiatives: The framework and Microsoft tools used to optimize the background check process can be reapplied to other priority initiatives within Washington DCYF. Additionally, the way the capabilities are built provides the organization with a foundation for future AI applications.
Most importantly, Washington State’s modernization of its background check process increased its ability to make child safety decisions, improved foster family approvals and enabled children to reach safe homes faster.
Wipfli has demonstrated what modern public sector transformation should look like: innovative, practical, mission-driven and focused on delivering meaningful citizen outcomes.