IT team launches new Connect case management system

By David N. Krough, TJJD Communications —

After weeks – no wait, months. Actually, strike that. After YEARS of work, the TJJD Connect project is complete!

Connect will make case management at TJJD a whole lot smoother and leverage modern technology to make aspects of the work here much more efficient.

Congrats to the IT Connect team and everyone else who helped create and vet this new system or provided technical, testing, morale or donut support. Over the years, from envisioning, to budgeting to early prep and late development, some 100 people worked on this meaningful IT project.

In the last few weeks, IT professionals set up a “war room” at TJJD offices to shepherd the final steps.

Connect replaces a system that was initially built back in the 1980s and will make it vastly easier for everyone working with TJJD youth cases to capture data, review files and track treatment details, including the success of treatments provided to the youth.

From pre-admission, through parole, this application will help everyone stay aligned and informed about youth cases, improving workflows and enabling precision data collection.

“The release of Connect revolutionizes the way TJJD is able to provide services to youth referred to the agency,” said Chief Information Officer Tim Tenpas, who oversaw the final phases of taking Connect live.

Deputy Executive Director for Operations and Finance Emily Anderson called the launch of Connect a major “exciting accomplishment for the agency that will enhance efficiency.”

“This achievement is the culmination of years of collaboration across nearly every department within the agency and will transform the way TJJD operates,” Anderson said. “My heartfelt congratulations to TJJD’s IT team and all the dedicated employees whose hard work and commitment made this moment possible.”