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Minn. corrections dept. allows employee feedback to inform change

Department is the latest to undergo an extensive evaluation of how it currently operates in order to develop a new structure for the future

By Carolyn Lange
West Central Tribune

WILLMAR –– A new work structure that could give case workers more time with clients and increase efficiencies by capitalizing on employees’ passions is being developed by the Kandiyohi County Community Corrections Department.

Overseen by supervisor Deb West, the department is the latest to undergo an extensive evaluation of how it currently operates in order to develop a new structure for the future.

The Kandiyohi County Commissioners heard an update on the process Tuesday from Dave Paulsen, who is facilitating the county’s multi-year redesign process.

So far that process has included combining the Health Department with the Human Services Department and restructuring multiple departments in the county’s downtown Willmar office building that was recently remodeled.

Developing a new structure for Community Corrections involved employee interviews, identifying issues with the department and potential solutions for the future.

The employees participated in 20 meetings over the last 100 days, Paulsen said.

“This is really an employee-driven process,” Paulsen said Tuesday during the County Board meeting.

Commissioner Doug Reese said too often organizations let people at the top make decisions instead of going to the people who are in the “trenches” and are actually doing the work.

“Everybody felt they had their say,” West said.

Paulsen said there is not any sort of “boilerplate” plan that other counties are using to structure community corrections, and so the process here relied on the “internal experts” in the department to come up with the plan.

He said the employees worked in teams over the summer “to create solutions” and a structure that works for Kandiyohi County.

West said the new structure would be “different” but said different doesn’t necessarily mean it will be better.

The proposed structure includes dividing the department into an investigative unit to establish client cases and a supervision unit that would be divided into four teams to deal with different types of clients.

Those four client teams are criminal sex and supervised release; drug and alcohol; personal and property crimes; and juvenile and mental health cases.

For the most challenging groups — criminal sexual conduct crimes — there would be about 31 offenders for each agent under the proposed plan.

For the less challenging group of personal and property crimes, there would be about 81 offenders to each agent.

The intended benefits for agents is a “desire to spend more face-time with clients,” Paulsen said.

If this plan accomplishes that, “it will have been a success.”

The structure should also provide greater support between agents by using a team concept, he said. And by tapping into the passions and specialization of employees, Paulsen said operations should become more efficient.

Paulsen said the redesign is a work in process but the proposed structure is an “excellent starting point.”

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