ChildServe celebrates 93% family satisfaction result for 2010!! Congratulations all staff!

Every spring, families at ChildServe are surveyed and asked about their level of satisfaction with services and experiences when working with ChildServe in the care of their child. An organizational goal of 85% satisfaction result has been the target for several years. Consistently, families have indicated higher levels of satisfaction than the desired target. This year is no exception. Families have indicated a satisfaction result of 93%.  While this is a great result, ChildServe is interested in finding even more ways to delight and partner better with families.

Families provided some very positive comments that reinforced the result of 93% satisfaction. Families have also indicated some possibilities for improvement, which is very helpful to us. According to Marie Kayser, Director of Care Management, “Families are telling us that they want us to pay attention to the importance of communication. There were positive comments about communication and there were also comments that indicated experiences of disappointment.” There are four areas of focus that are taken from the survey questions and can be used to guide improved experiences for families when it comes to communication:
1)    I receive timely and accurate information regarding my child’s activities and accomplishments.
2)    I receive information about my child in a manner that best meets my needs.
3)    Someone talks with me frequently about my child’s progress.
4)    I know who my child’s caregivers are. 

Positive progress came through in some highlights of all responses reported by the families with children who live at ChildServe in ChildServe Homes, Apartments or Continuing Care Unit:
1)    5% better – My child has the best possible health
2)    7% better – My child is able to make choices that affect their life
3)    9% better – Our family is feeling more hopeful about our child’s future

Families who have a child who lives at home and receives services from ChildServe reported an 8% improvement – My child has the functional skills appropriate for his/her growth and development. Impacting improved functional skills is a priority focus by staff when working with the children we serve. It is positive feedback when families are reporting that they are recognizing this experience as an improvement.

ChildServe is committed to creating new ways of asking families about their experiences with their child’s care and measuring levels of family satisfaction. For example, starting this summer families will be asked how we are doing at the time of admission and how we did at the time of their child’s discharge. Families will also be asked to give us input at the time of their child’s annual care review meeting with the care team. Marie Kayser suggests, “When we are able to ask families at the time of their actual service experience, we expect to see an increase in participation from families giving us feedback as well as receive more specific information that will be helpful to reinforce those factors that are important to families. Partnering with families is a big part of our mission.”

The importance of this work is about knowing and being even more clear about family expectations in the context of effective partnerships. Adding the additional ways of obtaining opinions from families, ChildServe will be able to measure family satisfaction continuously all throughout the year. This will help us readily explore even more ways to positively impact how service delivery affects family satisfaction.