CAST alignment team presents vision-and-values plan, seeks tools to improve staff collaboration as child-protection caseloads rise

At the March meeting of the CAST Human Service Zone Board in Cass County, an alignment team presented a finalized vision-and-values alignment document and outlined near-term steps to improve cross-department communication, staff leadership and worker wellness while board staff reported rising child-protection caseloads and requests for outside assistance.

The alignment team said the work began in 2023 with a benchmarking survey and visioning sessions led by consultant Jason Matthews of JM Strategies Group, then moved through a cultural assessment and a second alignment team made up of frontline staff representing multiple departments. The team’s document frames the zone’s mission as “united in providing people centered services to our community” and identifies expectations and actions under three priorities: working as a unified agency, fostering belonging and encouraging leadership at all levels.

“Keep it simple,” the team said was a guiding principle for implementation. Team proposals presented to the board include identifying subject-matter experts (SMEs) across floors, publishing a centralized SharePoint with contact points and quick-reference resources, sampling onboarding and check-in assessments, and holding brief, frequent touchpoints to surface operational gaps.

Dan Madler, CEO of Beyond Shelter Inc. and a board member, attended the meeting and said he looked forward to the presentation. Jen Saar, assistant director for educational justice for the Fargo Schools, and Julie Haugen, chief operating officer at YWCA Cass Clay, introduced themselves and acknowledged the alignment team’s outreach across departments.

Jim Corbett, an alignment team member who works in child protection, described the shift from vision language to concrete actions: “You can put those words out there, but putting them into action is something else,” he said, urging a call to action that combines both floors of the zone around implementable steps.

Team members stressed practical items for staff and supervisors: quick-access SME contacts for common client questions, clearer internal routing so front-desk staff can direct visitors to the correct floor, and a SharePoint rollout to track utilization. Thomas Taban, who works in economic assistance, said open and frequent communication was a top priority and recommended short monthly or quarterly check-ins to accelerate problem solving.

Several alignment team members and board staff also called attention to workload and workforce pressures. Board staff reported that child-protection assessments typically increase from January through the end of the school year, and that new caseworkers must attend child-welfare certification training that temporarily reduces field capacity. The zone has requested voluntary assistance from neighboring zones and has assigned some temporary emergency workers for paperwork support under a short-term pay arrangement.

Board staff said the zone can hire temporary emergency workers for paperwork and administrative support for up to 720 hours, paid through zone funds, and that one neighboring zone had recently provided staff who took five cases to reduce immediate load. The presenters said recruitment and onboarding continue: the zone onboarded a new CPS assessment worker at the meeting and expected several more hires in the coming weeks.

The alignment team emphasized staff wellness and recognition as part of sustained culture change. Proposed actions include resilience training to address secondary trauma among family-services staff, a newsletter and recognition activities to build pride in the work, and supervisor check-ins to identify when employees need support.

Board members asked how progress would be measured. Presenters said they were in the early implementation phase and exploring simple metrics such as SharePoint usage (clicks), short departmental surveys or periodic check-ins rather than complex new reporting. “We don’t want to overtax this,” a presenter said, noting the team’s intention to keep monitoring lightweight and actionable.

The packet presented at the meeting also included operational highlights unrelated to the alignment project: a Dandelion Award recognition for a family-services case manager, continuing monthly statistics, and a legislative roundup identifying bills the directors’ association is tracking, including House bills mentioned by staff (HB 1095, HB 1205 and HB 1268) that the association has provided testimony on or is monitoring.

The board approved the meeting minutes for February and later voted to adjourn; the next CAST meeting is scheduled for April 7. No formal policy changes were adopted at the March meeting; the alignment document was presented for adoption into operational practice with a recommendation to continue the team’s work and invite broader staff input on future items.