OMS Resources for Members
Healing, Justice, & Trust:
How CACs prove (and improve) their work
NCA’s Outcome Measurement System (OMS) helps CACs demonstrate their success to funders, lawmakers, and stakeholders, while helping centers to benchmark themselves against the field to internally identify areas for improvement.
Below are some member-exclusive 2019 OMS resources for CACs to help you improve your work, build support and trust among your networks, and make the case for new support to lawmakers, funders, and community leaders.
NOTE: This National Report version is available for the use of NCA members, their boards, and MDT partners only. Please use the brief to the right for sharing with non-members.
Create Your Own
Here’s a brief webinar from October 2016 on the importance of using shared data, how to source data that tells your story, and an in-depth walkthrough on using the template below
NOTE: This National Report version is available for the use of NCA members, their boards, and MDT partners only. Please use the brief to the right for sharing with non-members.
How do CACs use OMS?
OMS is one of the most requested and widely used membership benefits provided by the National Children’s Alliance. Developed in Texas in 2009 and then offered by NCA to CACs in other states starting in 2012, its success demonstrates the growing need for a unified system for evaluating CACs on an individual, state, and national level. It provides the opportunity for each CAC to not only measure their own performance, but also benchmark themselves against the field. Hundreds of centers across all 50 states (and a growing number of international locations) have used OMS to give families and team members a voice in the CAC process, which in turn allows centers to demonstrate their success and find areas for improvement.
OMS allows CACs to report on survey items designed to capture two measurable outcomes:
- The CAC facilitates healing for children and caregivers.
- The MDT approach results in more collaborative and efficient case investigations.
How is OMS making a difference in our work?
NCA’s Program Evaluation Coordinator, Kaitlin Lounsbury, joined the Center for Victim Research on their podcast series, Tell Us About It, to discuss the impact of the OMS program on Children’s Advocacy Centers and the families and team members sharing their voices through this program. To listen to the podcast, visit: https://victimresearch.org/podcast/tell-us-about-it-episode-21-measuring-outcomes-in-childrens-advocacy/
Thank you for your interest in OMS!
We are excited to provide you with this important tool for your CAC. These outcomes demonstrate your dedication to serving children in your community and engaging in this national movement.
For questions about the Outcome Measurement System (OMS), please contact:
Kaitlin Lounsbury
Program Evaluation Coordinator, National Children’s Alliance
(202) 548-0090 x211