STANDARDS OF PRACTICE

1 SOP Redesign Training

 QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEMS
 An important aspect of a quality
system is to work according to clear
and precise standards of practice
(SOPs).

 A standard of practice is a document

which describes the regularly
recurring operations relevant to the
quality of the operations.

 The purpose of an SOP is to carry

out the operations correctly and
always in the same manner.
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WHAT DOES IT REALLY DO?
SOP protects
both workers
and clients.

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SOP PROTECTS…

WORKERS

 Workers who are following an

established SOP can have a
greater confidence that their
actions are supported by
leadership and the underlying
statutes and regulations.
They will have more success
implementing their
recommendations in court.
They will have fewer
corrective case actions. 4
SOP ALSO PROTECTS…

CLIENTS

 All clients are entitled to

consistent service delivery
based on established and
accepted procedures—not
on any one worker’s
personal values, and not
varying from one
geographic area to
another.

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CHANGE IS GOOD!
To ensure
that SOP is
presented in
the most
useful, usable
format, it
became
necessary to
update the
layout and
format.

The decision
to do so was
based on
feedback from
both field
users and
leadership.

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WHAT DIDN’T CHANGE?

 CONTENT
 There were very limited change to the existing
content.
 Those changes were limited to providing better
transitions between chapter materials or providing
clarification within the existing language.
 ACCESSIBILITY
 The manual can still be accessed through web pages
available through the department’s intranet or
internet websites.
 Forms and other resources can still be found as part
of the manual pages. 7
CHANGE YOU’LL APPRECIATE!

 It Won’t Ask: “Are you sure?”

 Working Search Engine

 Forms Are Easy to Find

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BIG CHANGES YOU’LL LOVE: FORMAT
AND NAVIGATION

 Navigation Guides that Ensure you

Won’t Get Lost

 Simplified Format that Enhances the

Clarity of the Content

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NAVIGATION IS SIMPLIFIED
 Linear Navigation → No More Linking Between
Sections and Chapters

 Navigation Breadcrumbs at the Top of Every

Page Identifies the Path of Links Back to the
Table of Contents

 Chapter and Section Headings are Always

Available from the Drop-Down Navigation Tabs
at the Left of Every Chapter and Section
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REDESIGNED FORMAT

 A Clean Separation Between Procedural Steps

and Considerations That May Impact Decision-
Making (Practice Guidance)
 Procedural steps are the activities that are required
as part of the task.
 Practice guidance includes, but isn’t limited to,
information related to completing the steps,
considerations the worker should evaluate as part of
decision-making, or contingencies that may arise
based on case-specific circumstances.
 All workers and supervisors are required to
follow the instructions contained in SOP,
regardless of whether or not those instructions
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are classified as procedural or practice guidance.
EXAMPLE
PROCEDURES
 Place the contents in
the box.
 Protect fragile items.
 Seal the box with tape.
 Address the box.
 Add appropriate
postage.
 Mail the package.
PRACTICE GUIDANCE
 Fragile items may be
protected with bubble
wrap or newspaper.
 Postage will depend on
the weight of the
package.
 For a list of post offices
in your area go to
post.office.com.
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WHAT IS NOT ON THE NEW SITE??

 Correspondence memorandums
and transmittals;
 Definitions;

 SOP Clarifications; and

 Links to legislative websites.

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SO WHAT DO I DO IF I NEED HELP?

Ask for Help Related to the Website Via Phone or

Email: Sarah Cooper or Lisa R. Smith on Your
Global Address List

Ask for Policy Clarifications or Case Consultation

by Making Contact with a Program Specialist in
Central Office

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THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION

THE END 16