Harbor Youth Services has been providing foster care and transitional living services for nearly three decades. Managing relationships between foster families, case workers, schools, and biological families requires exceptional coordination—something their legacy systems couldn't deliver.

The Challenge

Foster care coordination involves dozens of stakeholders for each youth in care. Harbor Youth Services faced significant obstacles:

• Complex communication chains: Updates needed to reach foster parents, therapists, teachers, and biological family members appropriately
• Critical deadlines: Court dates, medical appointments, and educational meetings required precise tracking
• Documentation requirements: State licensing demanded meticulous record-keeping with quick retrieval
• Staff turnover impact: When case workers left, institutional knowledge walked out the door

The Solution

Harbor Youth Services implemented Notehouse to create a unified coordination hub. The platform's flexibility allowed them to customize workflows for their unique needs.

Implementation Highlights

• Phased rollout: Started with one unit of 30 youth, expanded agency-wide over three months
• Custom templates: Created standardized note formats for different interaction types
• Permission levels: Set up appropriate access for internal staff, foster parents, and external partners
• Mobile access: Case workers could update notes immediately after home visits

The Results

Within the first year, Harbor Youth Services achieved measurable improvements:

• 25% improvement in placement stability rates
• 50% reduction in time spent preparing for court hearings
• Zero compliance findings in their annual state audit
• Seamless transitions when staff changes occurred—all history remained accessible

"The difference is night and day. When I'm in court, I can pull up exactly what I need in seconds. Before Notehouse, I'd be shuffling through folders hoping I had the right document." — James Chen, Senior Case Manager

A New Standard of Care

Harbor Youth Services now uses Notehouse as the backbone of their quality improvement initiatives. The data insights help them identify trends and adjust their programs proactively, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the youth they serve.