Stepping Up Evaluation & Readiness Toolkit

Project Description

The Stepping Up Initiative was launched in 2015 as a partnership between CSG, the National Association of Counties, and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation. Since then, Stepping Up has provided counties with tools to effect comprehensive, cross-systems change that can address the prevalence of mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders in local justice systems. Stepping Up seeks to bolster cross-systems collaboration and build out community-based services and supports to reduce incarceration and reincarceration, respond effectively to people in crisis, and ultimately prevent contact with the justice system in the first place.

Omni partnered with CSG and Stepping Up to provide evaluation support to the Kansas Technical Assistance Center, which supports local data infrastructure and strengthens county capacity to implement the Stepping Up Initiative. To support Innovator Counties in developing a cross-county reporting structure, this work began with a comprehensive assessment of key Stepping Up metrics, informed by document review and interviews with Innovator County staff.

Through this process, Omni examined the definitions of critical data elements, including the Stepping Up key measures, along with county level data management and reporting practices. To learn more about each county’s nuanced needs to move towards consistent data collection and reporting, Omni facilitated focused discussions around current data collection tools and processes identifying varying capacity levels across counties. To address the need of those counties with limited staff and capacity to manage data, Omni developed a standardized spreadsheet to streamline data entry and provide consistent definitions and guidance to support shared reporting. To further support Stepping Up and counties seeking to implement the initiative, Omni created a Readiness Toolkit which allows counties to self-assess their current capacities across a defined spectrum of readiness, providing a clear foundation for implementing Stepping up. Together, these efforts support the Stepping Up initiative by helping counties assess their readiness to implement, grow and sustain Stepping Up and to advance clear and consistent data entry and reporting among counties at all capacity levels.