# Child Welfare Digital Transformation

The California Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS) is responsible for modernizing child welfare technology to enhance the safety, well-being, and stability of children and families across the state. The agency required a comprehensive data strategy to drive its large-scale digital transformation using Salesforce Platform as a Service.

## The Challenge

Multiple prior attempts to craft and implement a unified data strategy had failed due to fundamental disagreements between county and state stakeholders on the approach. This impasse led to fragmented efforts, stalled progress, and misaligned priorities, creating a major roadblock for the program. A cohesive, stakeholder-driven strategy was essential to align all parties and provide a clear roadmap for digital transformation.

## Our Approach

- **Established a structured stakeholder forum** to facilitate alignment between county and state leadership, ensuring concerns were addressed and a collaborative path forward was defined.
- **Led consensus-building discussions**, leveraging proven facilitation techniques to break down conflicting perspectives and secure agreement on a unified data strategy.
- **Developed a comprehensive data strategy artifact**, integrating digital transformation, data management, and data analytics as core pillars of the initiative.
- **Aligned federal funding requirements** by structuring the data strategy as a key artifact for submission to federal agencies.
- **Provided foundational guidance** for System Integrators, including Deloitte and Accenture, enabling them to align their implementation proposals with the strategic vision.

## Key Deliverables

- **CWDS Data Strategy Document** serving as the foundation for digital transformation.
- **Stakeholder Alignment Framework** ensuring continued collaboration between state and county agencies.
- **Federal Funding Justification Report**, strengthening CWDS’ position for continued investment and support.
- **Bidder’s Library Reference Artifact**, providing System Integrators with clear strategic guidance for implementation proposals.

## Results

47%  
**Decreased decision-making delays by 47%**, enabling faster program execution.

5 months  
Accelerated Salesforce Platform as a Service integration, **reducing transition time by 5 months** compared to prior attempts.

28%  
**Reduced federal funding approval cycle by 28%,** securing multi-year budget support.

3 months  
**Improved vendor proposal alignment by 41%,** cutting down the typical onboarding time by three months.

## Why It Matters

This case study highlights **Data Roadmaps’ expertise in overcoming complex stakeholder challenges**, driving alignment, and enabling large-scale public sector digital transformation.