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GEMS Modules
Even though First 5 Counties in California share the common
vision of serving children and families, each county has unique
evaluation and management plans that reflect community make-ups,
resources, strengths, and areas of expertise. GEMS is designed
as a toolkit to allow Counties to determine the tools that
match their evaluation design. This flexible design ensures
that the solution GEMS provides meets the needs of the customer:
big counties, small counties, streamlined evaluation plans
or complex data laden evaluation plans, it works for you.
Five modules are available for any GEMS package
- each module represents a group of functions a given County
may require. Each of these modules is customized to the specification
of the County Commission. Find out about the modules
here:
Online
Grant Submission and Management Module
Contract Management
Module
Program-Activity
Data Management Module
Periodic Report /
Data Transfer Module
Communication Module
GEMS consultancy
GEMS services
Online
Grant Submission and Management Module
Applicants responding to Requests for Proposals create online
accounts, complete, and submit applications. The County Commission
uses the Application Collector sub-module to retrieve, review,
and manage applications.
Specifications for the online applications
are determined by the County Commission and can include mandatory
information as well as open-ended and narrative descriptions.
Applicants create, edit, and save the requisite materials
including their projected clients, services, outcome and performance
measures. The result is a complete database of applications.
Using the Application Collector, the County Commission can
retrieve, browse, flag, save, delete, archive, print and otherwise
manage those applications. This module also allows the County
Commission to reply to applicants with pre-formatted emails
(e.g., submission notification, acceptance letter, and request
for more information).
Online submission decreases time and effort
for both applicants and the County Commission.
For applicants there is no delay for postal
mail; an account is created that lets applicants save and
return to their application in the future, even later funding
cycles. For the County Commission, there is no data entry;
applications can be sorted, reviewed, and analyzed in the
automatically generated database. The Commission can archive
and retrieve applications electronically thus reducing staffing
needs and saving resources. It can also track funding decisions
over time and create reports based upon this data. Successful
applicants’ contact information, budget, and projected
clients, services, outcome and performance measures can be
automatically uploaded into the Contract Management Module
further reducing data entry requirements and increasing efficiency.
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Contract
Management Module
This module is comprised of two sub-modules - Project Management
and Fiscal Management - that allow users to monitor the proposed
and completed work activities and associated financial transactions
of funded programs.
At regular intervals, funded programs report
project and financial information for the Commission. The
Commission accesses, reviews and compares current and projected
clients, units of service, performance measures and timelines
from funded programs in addition to budgets, budget revisions,
and invoices.
The County Commission has the ability to
compare side-by-side, the proposed and current status of all
funded programs and evaluate progress and compliance. When
integrated with the Program-Activity Data Management Module,
funded programs can monitor their current progress regarding
total clients served, services delivered, outcomes measures,
and performance goals.
Simplifies and integrates the tracking of
contract milestones, completing program oversight, tracking
budgets and invoices, and other contract management tasks.
Modules are integrated and linked which saves time and staffing
requirements for funded programs. Contract requirements are
automatically linked to periodic progress reports and information
submitted in the Online Grant Submission Module is automatically
populated in the current module.
County Commissions see increased efficiency
from the ability to compare the progress of funded programs
individually, by area of service provision, by initiative,
or by client population.
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Program-Activity
Data Management Module
Made up of four sub-modules, this module enables funded programs
to enter, manage, analyze, and create reports on child, family,
provider, and program information for clinical and administrative
purposes. The sub-modules are Client Tracking, Service Tracking,
Outcomes Tracking, and Data Analysis Reporting. They integrate
client, service, and outcomes level data.
Additionally, this module includes typical
data management tasks like backups, restorations, and integrity
checks.
Funded programs have the ability to enter
and manage data to create reports that inform their service-delivery
practices and might be required by state and local stakeholders.
The County Commission has the ability to review this data
at any level - client, agency, regional, and service. GEMS
can be integrated with the existing data systems of funded
programs and the County Commission.
Protections in the system ensure clean and
reliable data giving both funded programs and the County Commission
confidence in conclusions drawn. Two modes of data entry are
available and reduce data entry resources. Outcomes, process,
and performance data are linked allowing funded programs and
County Commission to demonstrate comprehensive results.
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Periodic
Report / Data Transfer Module
Funded programs need to create reports to satisfy contract
requirements, but also on outcomes that inform their service
delivery. Evaluation and Commission staff need to acquire
these reports and in turn, create additional reports. The
Periodic Report / Data Transfer module permits any user to
produce and send any type of report as well as transfer collected
data.
Users can create reports and transfer data
with, literally, a few clicks of the mouse. Predefined report
templates automatically tabulate any data, yet are flexible
enough to incorporate narrative comments. Raw data transfers
from funded programs to evaluators and County Commission can
be pre-defined to strip confidential identifiers (i.e., meet
HIPAA requirements).
Automated reports save the time and effort
spent on tabulating data and increase confidence in timely
reporting. Evaluators and County Commission can review reports
and send feedback to funded programs. Data and reports can
be customized to produce local reports based on local needs,
while also meeting the requirements of state annual reports
(submitted electronically).
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Communication
Module
Periodically, evaluation and County Commission staff need
to update funded programs’ outcomes information, scope
of work, budget information, and the like. Funded programs
need to access communiqués, and touch base with other
programs. The Communication module facilitates communication
between users of GEMS.
Funded programs, evaluators, and Commission
can communicate on a secure email system to relay information.
Similarly, an instant messaging function permits real-time
communication.
Internal communication within GEMS can facilitate
the development of an online community of users who share
information and experiences. This can help build evaluation
and data management capacity, and generate buy-in.
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GEMS
Consultancy
Mosaic Network has significant evaluation and consultation
expertise. We use these skills to evaluate the needs of potential
clients regarding evaluation plans and data collection tools,
policies, and procedures. In addition, we assess the type
and scope of the data system required by a County.
Find out more about our consultancy
services here.
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GEMS
Services
Mosaic Network has strict quality and usability guidelines
for all its products. We believe a system is only truly effective
if it is simple to use. We provide training and support to
services to all users, including:
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Deployment and training.
We provide training for users and provide extensive |
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Documentation and manuals. |
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User support: phone, site, online support - whatever
it takes |
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Software maintenance: patches sent via server; |
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Server hosting: in the event that a
client would like us to host the server we will do so.
However, clients are free to host the server themselves
or to contract with another provider. |
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