Blueprint CAS
Context
The SAP provides a safe, structured space for children in vulnerable situations to maintain connections with their parents.
In Algoma, a small town in Ontario, the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) provides essential support to families through the Supervised Access Program (SAP). For children in vulnerable family situations, SAP offers a safe and structured space for parenting visits, ensuring they can maintain connections with their parents under the supervision of trained staff and volunteers called Clinicians.
Problem
Clinicians at CAS work tirelessly to support children in need, but their outdated documentation system is making their jobs harder than it needs to be.
Right now, everything operates across two separate Google Drives, with no centralized structure. This process is mentally taxing, prone to errors, and wastes valuable time—time that could be spent providing care. The overwhelming administrative burden leads to longer processing times for accepting children into the SAP program, keeping them on waitlists instead of placing them in a safe, supportive environment.
🤔 For a single child, information is scattered across 3 spreadsheets.
Process
Improve their Supervised Access Program with automated attendance logging
Stepping into the project, I wasn’t starting from scratch—I was picking up where the previous team left off. To ensure consistency, my first task was to review past design work and align with the existing branding. But before jumping into design, I needed to deeply understand what we were solving for.
70% of Clinicians are aged 60 or older. The elder volunteers found prolonged table use visually straining.
We pivoted from a table-based format to a structured profile format, reducing eye fatigue and improving readability.
Clinicians needed a way to quickly identify cases without revealing vulnerable information.
Instead of using explicit names or details, we designed a unique case labeling system.
No preset templates, active cases usually have a life of 2-5 weeks which then must be manually archived.
Introduced preset templates with pre-filled fields, automated case lifecycle management with smart prompts.
Outcome
40% faster, more intuitive workflow
The redesigned system streamlined case management, resulting in a 40% reduction in overall work time, as confirmed through usability testing. By replacing manual cross-checking with structured profiles and smart automation, clinicians could navigate records more intuitively.
🏆 "Finding records for a child is more linear and makes a lot of sense now" ~ Beta tester
Beyond improving daily workflows, the new design also accelerated onboarding for new clinicians, enabling them to adapt quickly without the frustration of navigating multiple spreadsheets. With a more structured and intuitive system, clinicians could focus less on administrative tasks and more on supporting families.