David Ricords, A.A

David Ricords, A.A.

Senior Programmer

Mr. Ricords joined Hornby Zeller Associates, Inc. (HZA) in the fall of 2011 to enhance HZA’s information technology and data analysis functions. Serving as Senior Programmer, Mr. Ricords utilizes his extensive experience to heighten HZA’s programming capabilities and increase client satisfaction. Since joining HZA in 2011, Mr. Ricords has played key roles in the development of a number of web-based data collection tools and techniques.

For a special study conducted by the privatized Quality Assurance Unit, which HZA operates on behalf of Arkansas’ Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS),Mr. Ricords developed an ASP.Net web application for use by case workers to perform basic searches of available foster homes. The automated tool, which stems from a review of placement stability of children in substitute care, utilizes state and federal standards to identify the best possible match for foster children and resource families. Mr. Ricords developed programming for a similar tool to match the dynamics of children seeking permanency with prospective adoptive families. For the privatized Child Protective Services Unit, also situated within DCFS, Mr. Ricords developed a web-based data collection tool which is utilized by reviewers across the firm’s offices to record findings of monthly reviews used to measure compliance with regulatory and policy requirements.

Mr. Ricords has developed a number of dashboards for HZA’s clients to use, some of which are used to measure rates of participation, such as for Pennsylvania’s National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), and others to measure program impact. For an evaluation of three behavioral health programs initiated by Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services to respond to the preventive service needs of families, HZA built and installed a dashboard providing basic information about each of the three programs – Nebraska Helpline, Family Navigator and Post Adoption/Post Guardianship Services – for both professionals and the public to use. Mr. Ricords has been responsible for enhancing the programming which measures program fidelity, effectiveness and outcomes, providing a new look and improved functionality. The result has been so wellreceived that the client has requested a webinar to demonstrate the dashboard to others in the agency who want to create their own dashboards.

Prior to joining HZA, Mr. Ricords was a Software Engineer for Webclients.net. There he designed, developed and maintained the internal company intranet and provided technical support to users. In addition, he created data entry forms utilizing client and server side validation as well as custom automation tools.

Mr. Ricords holds an A.A. in Computer Information Systems from Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Area Community College.

Case Management System/Technology Solutions

From Illinois DCFS Foster Care Placement System Proposal – June 2016

David Ricords, Lead Developer

David Ricords joined HZA in 2011 to enhance HZA’s information technology and data analysis functions. Serving as Senior Programmer, Mr. Ricords utilizes his extensive experience to heighten HZA’s programming capabilities and increase client satisfaction. Since joining HZA, he has played key roles in the development of a number of web-based data collection tools and techniques.

Mr. Ricords developed the web-based matching tools for caseworkers to use in finding placement resources for children in the custody of Arkansas’ Division of Children and Family Services. Using the characteristics of the children, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, disabilities and size of the sibling group to be placed together, when appropriate, the tool was designed to match those characteristics to the preferences of available foster home resources. An enhanced mechanism was incorporated which rates several of the children’s characteristics in terms of the match between the child and placement resource, such as race/ethnicity, instead of simply excluding resources which do not provide a perfect match. Mr. Ricords developed programming for the similar tool which is used to match the dynamics of children seeking permanency with prospective adoptive families.

Mr. Ricords has developed several dashboards for HZA’s clients, some of which measure rates of participation, such as Iowa’s National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), and others which measure program impact. Mr. Ricords has led the development of the firm’s Automated Random Moment and Reporting System which is currently being used throughout Colorado to administer its random moment sampling for cost allocation. He designed the web-based application, implemented the automated email notification and follow-up process, and developed management reports. In New Jersey, Mr. Ricords developed the web-based Longitudinal Data and Analysis Reporting System. Using extracts of New Jersey’s SACWIS data, he developed automated processes to analyze the multiple indicators used to track performance in response to the Department of Children and Families’ modified consent decree and federal outcome measures. His system enables program and county staff to see trends over time; select breakdowns based on demographic characteristics as well as other factors, such as permanency goals or placement types; and make comparisons to statewide results.

He has also developed web-based case management tools, such as that which used by a prison re-entry prevention program in Kennebec, Maine. The tool is being used by probation officers to assess the needs of individuals recently discharged from incarceration, link them to needed services and monitor their progress. A similar web-based tool was also developed by Mr. Ricords to assess the needs of youth and their progress who are involved in a specialty Teen Court program, also in Maine.

From Mississippi Families As Allies Software Development Proposal – October 2015

David Ricords, A.A., Programmer Analyst

Mr. Ricords will be the lead programmer for Fantasy. Mr. Ricords currently has an active role in Pyramid, the family navigator system in Nebraska. For the Colorado Random Moment Sampling of Child Placement Agencies he redesigned the data importing process to improve its efficiency, built a reconciliation page for matching child demographic data to data in TRAILS for identifying IV-E-qualifying children, and created the roster management tool where changes are made to the roster of users who are to participate in the quarterly survey.

Resulting from a special study about placement stability conducted by a privatized Quality Assurance Unit, which HZA operates for Arkansas’ Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Mr. Ricords developed an ASP.Net web application for use by case workers to perform basic searches of available foster homes. The automated tool utilizes state and federal standards to identify the best possible match for foster children and resource families. Mr. Ricords developed programming for a similar tool to match the dynamics of children seeking permanency with prospective adoptive families.

Mr. Ricords has also developed a number of dashboards for HZA’s clients, some of which are used to measure rates of participation, such as for Pennsylvania’s National Youth in Transition Database and others to measure program impact. For an evaluation of three behavioral health programs initiated by Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services to respond to the preventive service needs of families, HZA built and hosted a dashboard providing both process and outcome measures for each of the three programs: Nebraska Family Helpline, Family Navigator and Post Adoption/Post Guardianship Services. Mr. Ricords was responsible for enhancing the programming which measures program fidelity, effectiveness and outcomes, as well as for providing a new look, improved functionality and a higher degree of accuracy. The result has been so well received that the client requested HZA host a webinar to demonstrate the dashboard to others in the agency who wish to create their own dashboards.

Prior to joining HZA, Mr. Ricords was a Software Engineer for Webclients.net. There he designed, developed and maintained the internal company intranet and provided technical support to users. He created data entry forms utilizing client and server side validation as well as custom automation tools. He holds an A.A. in Computer Information Systems from Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Area Community College.

From Iowa Family Development and Self-Sufficiency (FaDSS) Program Software Development Proposal – June 2015

David Ricords, A.S., joined HZA in 2011 to enhance the firm’s information technology and data analysis functions. As Lead Programmer, Mr. Ricords has developed dashboards for HZA’s clients some of which measure rates of participation, such as Iowa’s National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), and others which measure program impact. Mr. Ricords has led the development of the firm’s Automated Random Moment and Reporting System which is currently being used throughout Colorado to administer its random moment sampling for cost allocation. He designed the web-based application, implemented the automated email notification and follow-up process, and developed management reports. For New Jersey he developed the web-based Longitudinal Data and Analysis Reporting System. Prior to joining HZA, Mr. Ricords was a Software Engineer for Webclients.net. There he designed, developed and maintained the internal company intranet and provided technical support to users. Mr. Ricords holds an A.A. in Computer Information Systems from Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Area Community College.

From West Virginia Web-based Home Visitation Data Collection System Technical Proposal – July 2013

David Ricords, System Architect

Since joining HZA in 2011, David Ricords has assumed the lead role in the development of a number of web-based data collection systems. He has contributed substantially to the firm’s efforts to automate and streamline a wide range of applications and processes supporting projects across the firm’s practice areas of child welfare, early childhood, public health and juvenile justice.

Based in HZA’s Harrisburg, Pennsylvania office, Mr. Ricords is an integral part of the research team focused on work for Pennsylvania’s Office of Children and Families. Most recently, he automated the process of producing Pennsylvania’s federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) files, including implementing federal and HZA-enhanced utilities to check client records for actual and probable errors. For the Arkansas Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Mr. Ricords developed an ASP.Net web application for use by case workers; the tool uses state and federal standards to measure the degree of match between the characteristics of a child to be placed in foster care and those of available homes in order to identify the best possible match. DCFS was so pleased with the result that it requested a similar web-based tool be developed to match children seeking permanency with prospective adoptive homes. For the firm’s quality assurance work in Arkansas he created a web-based data collection tool used by reviewers to record the findings of monthly compliance reviews of child protective investigations. Mr. Ricords has also developed or enhanced a number of dashboards for HZA’s clients; some of these are used to measure rates of participation—such as for Pennsylvania’s and Iowa’s National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD)—and others to help measure program impact. For an evaluation of three behavioral health programs initiated by Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services, HZA built and installed a dashboard providing basic information about each of the three programs for both professionals and the public to use. Mr. Ricords completely redesigned the dashboard, providing much improved functionality; the result has been so well received that the client requested a webinar to demonstrate the dashboard to others in the agency who want to create their own dashboards.

Most recently, Mr. Ricords developed a web-based case management tool for use by a new prison re-entry prevention program in Kennebec, Maine. The tool is being used by probation officers to assess the needs of individuals recently discharged from incarceration, link them to needed services and monitor their progress. A similar web-based tool was also developed by Mr. Ricords recently to assess the needs of youth and their progress who are involved in a specialty Teen Court program, also in Maine.

Prior to joining HZA, Mr. Ricords was a Software Engineer for Webclients.net. There he designed, developed and maintained the company intranet and provided technical support to end users. In addition, he created data entry forms utilizing client and server side validation as well as custom automation tools. Mr. Ricords holds an A.A. in Computer Information Systems from Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Area Community College. He has over six years of experience working with UNIX and more than ten years working with DOS.

CFSR/PIP/QSR Support

From Pennsylvania Data Gathering, Analysis, and Reporting; Technical Assistance and Training Proposal – December 2015

David Ricords, Senior Programmer

Mr. Ricords joined HZA in the fall of 2011 to enhance HZA’s information technology and data analysis functions. Recently promoted to the position of Senior Programmer, he utilizes his extensive experience to heighten HZA’s programming capabilities and increase client satisfaction. He has developed a number of web-based data collection tools and techniques. His expertise will be used to develop new web-based applications for OCYF as well as to maintain and improve those that currently exist.

Following a special study conducted by the privatized Quality Assurance Unit HZA operates for Arkansas’s Division of Children and Family Services, Mr. Ricords developed an ASP.Net web application for use by case workers to perform basic searches of available foster homes. The automated tool utilizes state and federal standards to identify the best possible match for foster children and resource families. Mr. Ricords developed programming for a similar tool to match the dynamics of children seeking permanency with prospective adoptive families. For the privatized Child Protective Services Unit, also situated within the Arkansas DCFS, Mr. Ricords developed a web-based data collection tool which is utilized by reviewers across the firm’s offices to record findings of monthly reviews used to measure compliance with regulatory and policy requirements.

Mr. Ricords has developed a number of dashboards for HZA’s clients to use, some of which are used to measure rates of participation, such as for Pennsylvania’s National Youth in Transition Database, and others to measure program impact. For an evaluation of three behavioral health programs initiated by Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services to respond to the preventive service needs of families, HZA built and installed a dashboard providing basic information about each of the three programs – Nebraska Helpline, Family Navigator and Post Adoption/Post Guardianship Services – for both professionals and the public to use. Upon his arrival in the company, Mr. Ricords became responsible for enhancing the programming which measured program fidelity, effectiveness and outcomes, providing a new look and improved functionality.

Using extracts of New Jersey’s SACWIS data, Mr. Ricords developed automated processes to analyze the multiple indicators used to track performance in response to the Department of Children and Families’ modified consent decree and federal outcome measures. He developed the dynamic statewide and county packages provided in MS Excel form, which enable program and county staff to see trends over time; select breakdowns based on demographic characteristics as well as other factors, such as permanency goals or placement types; and make comparisons to statewide results, or in the instance of county packages, draw comparisons across offices. The packages include a functionality which enables users to identify which results are statistically significant.

From Pennsylvania Data Gathering, Analysis, and Reporting; Technical Assistance and Training Proposal – October 2012

David Ricords, A.A.

Programmer/Research Assistant

Since joining HZA in 2011, David Ricords has assumed the lead role in the development of a number of web-based data collection tools and techniques and has contributed substantially to Mr. Zacks’ efforts to automate the work the company does for OCYF. Most recently, he automated the process of producing Pennsylvania’s AFCARS files, including checking the data for actual and probable errors.