We are pleased to announce Social Current’s strategic plan priorities and goals for 2024-2026. Guided by our mission, vision, and values, the plan is a culmination of months of planning that included meaningful engagement of key stakeholders including board, staff, and network organizations. The process focused on the identification of and building on strengths, while also identifying potential challenges and opportunities to create a realistic strategic plan to support our organization in being nimble and responsive in today’s fast-changing environment.

From 2024 to 2026, our four core strategic priorities are focused on:

Learn more about the process as well as our strategic priorities and goals.

Social Current is pleased to announce that CCNY, Inc. has signed on to become a Platinum Strategic Industry Partner for 2024. Strategic Industry Partners play an important role in helping Social Current bring together leaders from across our network of more than 1,800 human and social service organizations to collaborate, innovate, and solve problems. Social Current intentionally nurtures relationship building between our partners, organizations, and professionals to offer solutions as we work toward a stronger and more viable social sector.

CCNY, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Buffalo, New York, provides a comprehensive spectrum of services that range from program evaluation and data analytics to quality improvement and training. A recognized leader in the industry when it comes to improving service delivery in human services, they help organizations understand how to achieve their mission and drive positive change. Their expertise supports organizations in their goal to become data-driven organizations focused on increasing their capacity with utilization focused tools to improve positive outcomes.

“Building a stronger, more collaborative social service network means it is more critical than ever to foster connections and strategic partnerships across our sector,” commented Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of Social Current. “As our Platinum Strategic Industry Partner, CCNY, Inc., brings a strong expertise on how organizations can better fulfill their mission while still achieving their bottom line. We are pleased to welcome them as Social Current’s first platinum partner for 2024.”

“The shared commitment to service excellence through continuous quality improvement is a focus that CCNY shares with Social Current and all its network organizations,” said Heidi Milch, Executive Director of CCNY. “When it comes to data-driven quality improvement this group is past the question of should we, and on to the question of how will we, which makes the Platinum Partnership the perfect avenue for CCNY to support network organizations with the tools that create capacity for lasting success.”

Social Current offers Platinum, Gold, and Silver Strategic Industry Partnerships that can help organizations foster and nurture connections and relationships across the social sector with a goal of enhancing our collective success and nationwide impact. Through Social Current’s partnership program, partners reach our network through annual meetings, networking events, discussion forums, learning series, thought leadership development opportunities, and more. For more information on Strategic Industry Partner opportunities, please contact Marisa Collins, director of strategic partnerships and partner communications.

About CCNY, Inc.
There’s always a human side to analytics, and that’s where CCNY comes in. With consultative services that encompass data collection, evaluation, analytics, predictive modeling, and quality improvement; it’s our job to facilitate data-driven decision making for those who work in health and human services. CCNY takes a utilization focused approach that ensures the work we do actually gets used.

Social Current is seeking competitive submissions for its 2024 Innovative Impact Award. Too often great ideas are kept in-house without recognizing their potential to create change beyond the communities where they were born. Social Current’s Innovative Impact Award identifies, documents, and celebrates examples of successful approaches to management and service delivery practices adopted by our network organizations.

The Innovative Impact Award will spotlight the efforts of Social Current network organizations—their staff, board, volunteers, and partners—who innovate for good to create lasting change with families and communities.

We invite you to share your successful strategies and serve as a resource for community-based organizations, leaders, researchers, and advocates across the full spectrum of human and social services.

Submissions should be focused within one of the following impact areas:

Applications should be submitted online by March 25. Submissions must include a synopsis of your innovative practice and a case study narrative that addresses the evaluation criteria. View the Innovative Impact Award program details, including submission guidelines, evaluation criteria, and eligibility.

Winner Benefits

The 2024 Innovative Impact Award winner will receive national visibility and promotion from both Social Current and participating national associations. The winner will also receive the following benefits:

View full award details and apply online by March 25. Contact Social Current with questions.

Social Current has always emphasized that together, we can create a greater impact. By working across systems, community-based organizations can establish a web of services that maximize their strengths and address their needs to better serve their staff and communities.

At Social Current, we provide multiple pathways toward purposeful partnership. From Strategic Industry Partners to Network Champions to Corporations and Philanthropy, we bolster our network’s impact by sharing their business solutions and opportunities.

Our President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson would like to introduce our Silver Strategic Industry Partners in this video. These five partners offer specialized products and services that benefit the sector:

Meet Social Current’s Silver Strategic Industry Partners

Brown & Brown Insurance: Long-time partner Brown & Brown Insurance is the preferred choice of over 1,300 health and human services organizations nationwide. They are dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of their customers by helping to protect what they value most.

FlexAMS: FlexAMS offers a results-driven and cost-effective Electronic Health Record (EHR) solutions geared toward nonprofit health and human service organizations. They are committed to superior customer service and affordability, making them the top choice for many behavioral health and social services organizations.

Marsh McLennan Agency: Marsh McLennan Agency provides business insurance, employee health and benefits, retirement, and private client insurance solutions across North America. With inclusion and diversity at the heart of their shared enterprise, they work side by side across disciplines, businesses, and borders to solve their clients’ most complex problems.

Public Consulting Group: Public Consulting Group is a leading public sector management consulting firm that partners with health, education, and human services agencies. They offer a multidisciplinary approach to solve their clients’ challenges and favor long-term client relationships.

Triad: Triad is the leading provider of education, community, and career resources for our sector. They support the behavioral and mental health community, from student to practitioner, and offer discounted rates for our network.

Interested in partnering with Social Current? Contact Marisa Collins, director of strategic partnerships and partner communications, or visit our partnerships page online.

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing recently released a new vision paper for community-based provider organizations and states working to leverage the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model to expand access to high-quality care.

CCBHCs: A Vision for the Future of Community Behavioral Health Care outlines a national vision for excellence in community mental health and substance use care and describes how clinics can leverage their CCBHC status to transform the experience of accessing care.

“We must take steps today to improve the quality of health care that will strengthen communities, help people in need, and improve health outcomes – tomorrow is too late,” National Council for Mental Wellbeing president and CEO Chuck Ingoglia said. “The overwhelming need for mental health and substance use care demands that we embrace innovative ways of structuring, as well as delivering and paying for care. The CCBHC model represents the best solution to accomplish that goal.”

The new resource captures innovations and best practices being used by CCBHCs that improve health outcomes, facilitate access to care, and demonstrate the value of the model. For clinics, it provides ideas to help design programs and services, streamline operations to ensure same-day access and develop a workforce capable of meeting increased demand for services, promoting health equity and improving health care outcomes. For states, it includes recommendations to engage with CCBHCs to better inform policy solutions to reduce barriers to care and coordinate statewide efforts like implementing the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Operated and certified in 12 states, CCBHCs have seen widespread bipartisan support in the last decade. Just last year, the CCBHC demonstration program was expanded to add 10 new states every two years, starting in 2024. As the program expands and more states begin drafting their state certification processes many will require accreditation.

Through COA Accreditation, a service of Social Current, we can ensure CCBHCs meet that accreditation requirement and successfully implement and build upon SAMHSA’s 2023 CCBHC Certification Criteria.

Learn more about how COA Accreditation standards support best practices for CCBHCs by visiting our website or joining an upcoming webinar.

Visit the National Council’s website to download the vision paper.

Social Current has always emphasized that together, we can create a greater impact. By working across systems, community-based organizations can establish a web of services that maximize their strengths and address their needs to better serve their staff and communities.

At Social Current, we provide multiple pathways toward purposeful partnership. From Strategic Industry Partners to Network Champions to Corporations and Philanthropy, we bolster our network’s impact by sharing their business solutions and opportunities.

Our President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson would like to introduce our Gold Strategic Industry Partners in this video. These four partners offer specialized products and services that benefit the sector:

Meet Social Current’s Gold Strategic Industry Partners

CCNY, Inc: There’s always a human side to analytics, and that’s where CCNY comes in. With consultative services that encompass data collection, evaluation, analytics, predictive modeling, and quality improvement, it’s their job to facilitate data-driven decisionmaking for those who work in health and human services.

DCM Associates (DCM): DCM’s nationally recognized and experienced leadership search consultants and coaches provide affordable expertise to help CEOs and leadership teams perform better as well as provide education, assessments, and surveys to help the entire organization, board, and leadership team develop best practices.

DCM offers a special executive search rate for Social Current’s COA-accredited organizations or Engagement Package holders year-round. They also invite you to participate in this nationwide CEO and Board Chair survey through Oct. 23.

Mutual of America Financial Group: Mutual of America offers a wide variety of pension and savings retirement plans for organizations of all sizes. They provide full services for 401(k), 403(b), Profit-Sharing, and 457 Deferred Comp plans and deliver the cost-efficiency of a full-service provider. Mutual of America can help you meet your investment, communication, and administrative responsibilities. No brokers, third-party administrators, firms, or individuals in the middle to drive up costs and delay plan-related services. They work directly with their clients.

Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC): For over 30 years, YPTC has helped to build stronger nonprofits. With over 1,400 nonprofit clients from coast to coast, YPTC assists with their financial management needs. These services include:

Learn more about YPTC in this Partner Highlight.

Our Strategic Industry Partners support our annual SPARK Conference. Register today for SPARK 2023, Oct. 16-17 in Bethesda, Maryland.

Interested in partnering with Social Current? Contact Marisa Collins, director of strategic partnerships and partner communications, or visit our partnerships page online.

Social Current’s Strategic Industry Partners offer specialized products or services to benefit our network. We are proud to spotlight our Gold Strategic Industry Partner Your Part-Time Controller. (YPTC).

For over 30 years, YPTC helps to build stronger nonprofits. With over 1,400 nonprofit clients from coast to coast, YPTC assists with their financial management needs—from internal, grant, and board reporting, to forecasting, budgeting, and cash flow management, and from bookkeeping and monthly financial statements to the development of customized dashboards.

How YPTC’s Services Benefit the Social Sector

At YPTC, they help to build stronger nonprofits, one accounting department at a time. They provide the accounting and financial management services that help chief executives and board members in the social services sector determine how effectively and efficiently their organization is accomplishing its mission and provide them with the timely, accurate information needed for decision making.

YPTC Services

  • Accounting and month-end close
  • Financial reporting
  • Analysis and recommendations
  • Data visualization
  • Scenario planning and cash flow forecasting
  • Board meeting attendance and training
  • Policies and procedures
  • Forecasting
  • Budgeting
  • Grant proposals and ad hoc reports
  • Grant management
  • Audit turnaround
  • Federal awards grant writing and tracking

Why YPTC Partners with Social Current

“YPTC works with many types of social service organizations, whose missions are important to the communities in which we serve, and to our staff who serve them,” said YPTC Manager Sandra Magri. “Social Current works to strengthen the social services sector. YPTC partnering with Social Current makes perfect sense!”

Free Webinar from YPTC: Budget Essentials for Everyone

Ensure your organization is ready for budget season. Invite your program directors and department heads to join YPTC to see the their free webinar Budgeting for Impact: Nonprofit Budget Essentials.

Visit the YPTC website for news, webinars, and resources and to work with them.

Meet YPTC in person at SPARK 2023, Oct. 16-17 in Bethesda, Maryland.

To learn more about partnering with Social Current, please email us.

Cover image of the mental health supplement.

Social Current is proud to be part of Mediaplanet’s Mental Health campaign, which launched today. This supplement to USA Today includes the article, “There Is No Time to Waste: Addressing America’s Youth Mental Health Crisis” by Social Current President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson. In the article, she outlines the complex challenge of youth mental health, emphasizes the importance of cross-system collaboration and early interventions that are tailored to each child and family’s needs and culture, and asserts confidence that we can build on momentum seen through federal investments in mental health and decreased stigma.

“The message is clear — we must prioritize access to a comprehensive, coordinated, upstream network of mental health services and supports, and this must be done in collaboration across all systems that interact with youth, including child welfare, education, juvenile justice, mental health, and primary care,” says Levison-Johnson.

Social Current supports youth and family mental health by strengthening the social sector through consulting on equity, diversity, and inclusion and workforce resilience; engagement packages, now Impact Partnerships; learning solutions; and COA Accreditation. Our COA Accreditation standards help ensure quality mental health services are available through community-based organizations.

The publication also includes articles from:

Mental health has been in the spotlight over the past few years, and this campaign aims to keep important conversations about the topic going long into the future. This campaign shares resources for those in crisis, tips for talking to a loved one dealing with mental health issues, strategies for combatting compassion fatigue, and so much more.

Pick up a copy in today’s USA Today or flip through the pages online.

COOK COUNTY, IL – Cook County Health’s Project CHILD (Collaboration of Helpers Lowering Deaths of Children), today released their final evaluation report for the Child Safety Forward initiative funded by the Department of Justice (DOJ) with technical assistance led by Social Current. Child Safety Forward is a multi-year demonstration initiative, launched in October 2019 by the DOJ’s Office for Victims of Crime, that engaged five sites across the United States in research, planning, and implementation around strategies aimed at reducing child injury and fatality from abuse and neglect.

“Our data review indicated that an average of 10,000 serious child injuries or deaths due to suspected abuse or neglect are reported annually in the state of Illinois with higher rates in rural counties such as Peoria and Vermilion than the more densely populated Cook County,” noted Verleaner Lane, project director for Cook County Health’s Project CHILD. “We also found that 50 percent of the children who die from fatal injuries caused by maltreatment are unknown to the child welfare system. This data led us to take a public health approach by convening a multi-disciplinary group of community stakeholders who work to support families in a variety of different settings. The identified stakeholders included healthcare providers, community health workers, maternal infant health providers, educators, and social service providers.”

The late Marjorie Fujara, a world-renowned child abuse pediatrician, who led Project CHILD before her passing in 2021, noted during the initial planning phase of the project: “Child protective services, law enforcement, and medical professionals have worked together to investigate and respond to cases of child maltreatment and resulting deaths, but none have produced lasting results in terms of preventing child fatalities because of the lack of communication and bureaucratic nature between each agency; this has produced gaps in the system that have led to dire consequences. This project aims to identify the gaps and barriers to current approaches, policies, and procedures that exist to address child abuse and neglect in children aged three years and younger in three specific Illinois counties (Cook, Vermilion, and Peoria), to determine what prevention and intervention strategies work best for families in this area, and to ultimately decrease the number of child fatalities, near fatalities, and recurring child injuries caused by child abuse and neglect in those three Illinois counties.” 

Key elements of the project strategy included:

The multi-disciplinary team (MDT) was comprised of the following organizations: Children’s Advocacy Center of Illinois; Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center; Office of the Inspector General Illinois; Hoyleton Youth and Family Services; The University of Illinois: Child Protection Training Academy Simulation Lab; Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago: Child Abuse Pediatrics -Telehealth Partnership for Resilience (Educators); Be Strong Families (parent engagement); Illinois Department of Children and Family Services; EverThrive Illinois; Calumet Public School District 132; IL State Police- Effingham; Alton Police Dept. Force Commander of the Southern IL Child Death Investigation Task Force; Southern Investigations Commander Division of Criminal Investigation 18; and more.

Among the insights from the Project CHILD strategies was the importance and impact of simulation training. The Child Protection Training Academy, located on the University of Illinois  Springfield campus had created a simulation training model for DCFS Child Protection Investigators, which they deployed on behalf of the Project CHILD team. The simulation training utilized the “Hailey” scenario – one of the four cases created in partnership with the University of Missouri STL as part of a project with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) called FORECAST. The Hailey case involved training for recognizing elements of unsafe sleep practices based on a fictional family with numerous underlying conditions including domestic violence, mental health concerns, substance use disorder, and suspicions of sexual & physical abuse. 

The first MDT participated in simulation training on October 20, 2021, with 12 participants representing law enforcement, child protection, CAC staff, and prosecution. To draw attention to unsafe sleep practices, the environment was staged with a pack and play that was cluttered with clothing, bedding, and other objects. In addition to the pack and play concerns, the team strategically placed the simulation doll on a soft couch, to draw attention to other risk factors for unsafe sleep. Though the training was conducted on Zoom, the teams were able to “investigate” the environment through the use of the “proxy” who walked through the home with a camera, enabling the participants to see the home and its contents. Team members could ask for close up examination of particular items in order to determine what questions they might need to ask to gather additional evidence. Later trainings added additional risk factors within the house, such as a premature infant, smoking, and an additional toddler.

One of the key takeaways from the simulation training was that safe sleep issues were often not the primary concerns of members of the MDT as they observed the family’s home. In fact, upon interviewing the team, Project CHILD learned that safe sleep practices are rarely included in law enforcement training. 

“The work of the Cook County Health Project CHILD team has shed new light on developing and implementing a true multi-disciplinary, public health approach to preventing child abuse and neglect injuries and fatalities,” noted Amy Templeman, director of the Within our Reach team at Social Current and the head of the technical assistance team. “Their use of simulation training to identify not just risk factors but areas of needed improvement in training across multiple disciplines offers us a road map to help inform the field of child welfare and partners in best practices moving forward.”

“We have known for some time that reducing child maltreatment injury and death is a goal that encompasses a wide range of systems and cannot be solved by child welfare alone,” noted Stacy Phillips, Victim Justice Program Specialist with the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) within the U.S. Department of Justice. “The Cook County Project CHILD initiative is helping us identify the stakeholders who have an important role to play in keeping children safe and the tools and resources they need to be effective.”

In addition to Cook County Health, the other Child Safety Forward demonstration sites include St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut; Indiana Department of Health; Sacramento County CA’s Child Abuse Prevention Council; and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The final report from St. Francis Hospital was released in February 2023 and can be accessed here. The remaining final reports will be issued in the summer/fall of 2023. The technical assistance team is led by Within Our Reach, an office at Social Current.

About the Within Our Reach Office 

Within Our Reach is an office established within Social Current (formerly the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities) to further the recommendations of the federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities. The goal of Within Our Reach is to equip policymakers, practitioners, and advocates with the tools they need to fundamentally reform child welfare. Based on the commission’s national strategy, desired reform includes a proactive public health approach—a shared family and community responsibility to keep children safe. Within Our Reach is made possible through collaboration with Casey Family Programs, whose mission is to provide, improve, and prevent the need for foster care.   

About Social Current

Social Current activates the power of the social sector by bringing together a dynamic network of human/social service organizations and partners. Leveraging the collective experience of the field and research, we energize and activate the sector and drive continuous evolution and improvement. Social Current amplifies the work of the social sector through collaboration, innovation, policy, and practice excellence. We offer access to intellectual capital of thousands of professionals within our network through peer groups, learning opportunities, collective advocacy, individualized consultation, tools, and resources that address the sector’s most critical challenges.  

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Disclaimer: This product was supported by cooperative agreement number 2019-V3-GX-K005, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. 

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) has awarded a contract to the Health Federation of Philadelphia — which will partner with Social Current, a network of social sector organizations working together to activate the power of the social sector —  to create a learning community and deliver trauma-informed training and technical assistance to DHS staff and contractors. The award is responsive to Pennsylvania’s 5-year Title-IV E Prevention Plan outlining the state’s vision for becoming a trauma-informed, healing-centered state as explained in the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 and Governor Tom Wolf’s 2019 Executive Order on protecting vulnerable populations.  

The training will be targeted to DHS staff, Community Umbrella Agency staff and provider agencies, including kinship care/foster care, residential (congregate) care, and juvenile justice providers. Efforts will include establishing a trauma-informed framework for child welfare service delivery to serve children and families who have had chronic adverse childhood or other serious, traumatic experiences. Additionally, the goal of the training will be to support and enhance workforce well-being and resilience, and to address disparities in the percentage of families of color who are reported to child welfare agencies.

“The Health Federation of Philadelphia has a 40-year history of supporting health and human services systems in Philadelphia to ensure high quality and equitable access to care for all residents” CEO Natalie Levovich said. “These deep local roots, along with our strong partnership with nationally recognized Social Current and a team of diverse local consultants with expertise in trauma-informed care, anti-racism, child welfare training and research and evaluation, sets the stage for meaningful, effective work that will result in a stronger, more equitable child welfare network in Philadelphia.”

“Social Current works across the human services sector to apply learnings from neurosciences and trauma-informed curricula to enhance workforce resilience, support equity, diversity and inclusion, and build the capacity of the human services workforce to thrive in the systems in which they serve,” noted Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of Social Current. “We are thrilled to partner with the Health Federation of Philadelphia, our long-standing partner Public Health Management Corporation and others to develop and support individual, collective and organizational resilience for those in the Philadelphia DHS staff and partners.” 

The relationship between the Health Federation, Social Current, and our other partners brings together local and national expertise on trauma informed care and leading effective learning communities. Building on the Health Federation’s experience working with DHS and many other key organizations in the region, Social Current draws their expertise at the national level working with the full range of human service agencies, with a strong focus on those serving children and youth.

About the Health Federation of Philadelphia The Health Federation of Philadelphia serves as a keystone supporting a network of Community Health Centers, as well as the broader base of public and private-sector organizations that deliver health and human services to vulnerable populations. HFP promotes community health by improving access to and quality of health care; by identifying, testing and implementing solutions to health disparities; and by providing training and technical assistance to help other organizations operate more efficiently and effectively.