BIA Director Black Applauds Office of Indian Services for Computerworld Award

WASHINGTON – Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Director Michael S. Black today announced that the Office of Indian Services (BIA-OIS) Division of Human Services was recognized by Computerworld for the Division’s case management automation initiative. The Laureate award bestowed on the Division recognizes visionary application of information technology promoting positive social, economic, and educational change. The presentation took place at the Annual Laureates Medal Ceremony & Gala Awards on Monday, June 20, 2011

“The Bureau’s obligations to Indian Country require constant adaptation to new technologies so that we provide the best possible services,” Black said. “I am pleased that the Office of Indian Services Division of Human Services now has the Financial Assistance and Social Services—Case Management System (FASS-CMS)—it will allow for the needs of many to be met with a more efficient mechanism in place and the award from Computerworld acknowledges the hard work that was undertaken to produce this system.”

“We are thrilled to be recognized for this honor,” said BIA-OJS Division of Human Services Chief Sue Settles. “The impact we will make goes far beyond business efficiency. With this new system, our social workers will be able to deliver our programs more effectively in some of the most isolated and economically depressed areas of the United States.”

To modernize and improve its case management capabilities, BIA-OIS Division of Human Services turned to Hitachi Consulting’s full lifecycle case management solution, built using Microsoft Dynamics® CRM and Microsoft SharePoint® technologies. With the help of this software, BIA has automated data management and access, streamlined operations, and integrated with other organizational units to allow case workers to be significantly more efficient and productive in providing social services for those in need.

The FASS-CMS uses technology familiar to most of BIA’s social workers but this is the first time the tools have been integrated to achieve the level of productivity, mobility, and work quality improvements needed to improve the performance of the Division of Human Services and meet its needs. Improved case load management and oversight, improved funding justification and reduced opportunities for fraud are just a few of benefits. The BIA-OIS Division of Human Services utilized the consulting services of Hitachi Consulting Corporation to produce the FASS-CMS.

Founded by International Data Group (IDG) in 1988, The Computerworld Honors Program is governed by the not-for-profit Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation. Computerworld Honors is the longest running global program to honor individuals and organizations that use information technology to promote positive social, economic and educational change. Additional information about the program and a Global Archive of past Laureate case studies and oral histories of Leadership Award recipients can be found at the Computerworld Honors website: http://events.computerworld.com/Honors2011.

The Human Services Program supports the Department’s Strategic Goal to Advance Quality Communities for Tribes and Alaska Natives by improving welfare systems for Indian Tribes and Alaska Natives. Human Services consists of direct funding and activities related to social services, welfare assistance, Indian child welfare, and program oversight. The objective of this activity is to improve the quality of life for individual Indians that live on or near Indian reservations and to protect the children, elderly and disabled from abuse and neglect. The activity also provides child abuse and neglect services and protective services to Individual Indian Monies (IIM) supervised account holders who are minors, adults in need of assistance, adults under legal disability, and adults found to be non compos mentis.

The Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs is responsible for managing the BIA’s day-to-day operations through four offices – Indian Services, Justice Services, Trust Services and Field Operations – which administer or fund tribally based infrastructure, law enforcement, social services, tribal governance, natural and energy resources and trust management programs for 565 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes in 33 states through 12 regional offices and 85 agencies.