Government Partner:
In 2023, the State of Arkansas embarked on a mission to modernize its outdated and fragmented service delivery systems. A key component of this transformation was CiviForm, an open-source platform designed to streamline government services, starting with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs and expanding to other essential services. This effort is part of a broader strategy to ensure services are accessible, responsive, and equitable, especially for underserved communities.
The Challenge
Arkansas residents, particularly those in underserved communities, faced challenges with a fragmented and paper-based application process for accessing essential services. Recognizing these barriers, Arkansas set out to create a centralized digital solution that could address gaps in accessibility and usability.
As part of this digital transformation, Arkansas needed to ensure that the solution would be compatible with a variety of strategic state initiatives, including the Arkansas Workforce Strategy, the Arkansas WIOA Combined State Plan, and the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies program, which is a strategic effort focusing on improving maternal health.
The Approach
Alignment with State Strategies and Frameworks
The Arkansas team understood that for the digital transformation to succeed, it needed to be aligned with existing statewide priorities and strategies. This commitment was evident in their approach to embedding the digital strategy within broader frameworks, such as:
- Arkansas Workforce Strategy: Ensuring that the WIOA programs had a seamless, digital intake system to match the state’s workforce development goals.
- Arkansas WIOA Combined State Plan: Integrating the digital solution with Arkansas’ WIOA state plan allowed the state to not only streamline the application process for workforce development but also ensure that the system was scalable for other essential services.
- Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies – Arkansas Maternal Strategic plan: By embedding the digital solution in the strategic plan for maternal health, Arkansas ensured that services for expectant and new mothers could be more easily accessed, thus contributing to improved maternal health outcomes.
This alignment with existing state strategies ensured that the digital transformation would be sustainable and aligned with broader goals for workforce development, public health, and economic empowerment.
Collaborative Stakeholder Engagement
Arkansas’ collaboration with community-based organizations, workforce development agencies, and technology experts was pivotal in ensuring the system was adaptable to the diverse needs of the state’s residents. The involvement of Community Navigators—formerly known as Trusted Intermediaries—was particularly important in guiding underserved residents through the digital application process, especially in communities with low digital literacy.
Arkansas also worked closely with federal partners to ensure interoperability between the state’s digital platform and national protocols, facilitating smooth document submissions and reuse of forms.
Design & Development
The Arkansas team worked to adapt CiviForm’s open-source platform to meet the state’s specific needs, ensuring it was compatible with key initiatives such as the WIOA programs and maternal health services. The platform needed to support:
- Multi-language accessibility to cater to a diverse population.
- Secure data sharing to protect sensitive resident information across agencies.
- Document submission capabilities that supported workforce and health program eligibility verifications.
Through a close feedback loop with community stakeholders and subject-matter experts, the team ensured the platform would be accessible, user-friendly, and aligned with the broader goals of Arkansas’ strategic plans.
The Impact
A Strong Foundation: Initial Rollout
The CiviForm platform was successfully launched to support Arkansas’ WIOA workforce programs The initial success of these programs validated the approach and provided the state with a robust foundation to expand services across other areas. The inclusion of the document locker functionality streamlined the submission process for residents, allowing them to upload necessary documents before completing applications—saving time and reducing administrative delays.
Feedback & Engagement
Over 20 user testing sessions and several training sessions for program administrators provided invaluable feedback from both residents and service providers. This iterative approach allowed Arkansas to refine the system based on real-world feedback, ensuring continuous improvement.
Looking Ahead: A Future-Ready, Scalable Solution
As Arkansas expands its services, CiviForm’s open-source framework will remain at the heart of its strategy. The system’s flexibility will allow the state to easily add new services, including those related to maternal health and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). The close collaboration with community partners and ongoing alignment with state strategies ensures that Arkansas’ digital services will continue to meet the evolving needs of residents.
