HIFIS 4 Implementation Masterclass
ACRE Consulting is the recognized authority on HIFIS 4 implementation. Now, through the marvel of modern technology, you too can benefit from our years of experience working with communities large and small to implement HIFIS 4, from the (relative) comfort of your office.
What Is This?
The HIFIS 4 Implementation Masterclass is a new format offered by ACRE Consulting to help communities who want to launch HIFIS 4 in their community but need some guidance on how to do that efficiently and effectively.
It is an online course that uses a variety of teaching methods and tools – including group webinars, written materials, pre-recorded videos, case studies, quizzes, assignments, sample policies and templates, and optional one-on-one coaching.
Most importantly, this course gives you a structure to your HIFIS implementation project. We know just how many steps there are, and how many moving parts there are to keep track of. It can be overwhelming. We’ve helped guide communities through all the components of a HIFIS 4 implementation, so we know what order it makes sense to cover things.
Built into this course are some deadlines – these are intended to be taken as reminders to help you stay on schedule for a launch date you control. But don’t worry, if you miss a deadline, you won’t fail! Some topics will be harder for some communities than others, and other topics you’ll find you may have already completed. There are also built-in breaks in between the terms of this course, so you will have a chance to catch up on any outstanding items.
This course also helps you to stay organized with all of the information you need to compile for your HIFIS 4 launch project. You will be provided with a personal, easy-to-use database that will allow you to track everything you need.
Intended Audience
This course is meant for communities that are seriously planning on implementing HIFIS 4 but are having trouble doing so.
This course walks you through the early stages of planning, conducting a needs assessment, designing and developing the software and configuring it, testing, launching, and finally maintaining and updating the software after launch. Communities that are in the very early stages of implementation will get the most value out of this course (it starts at the beginning), but any community which has not yet launched HIFIS 4 will find value in its content.
About the Masterclass
This course is divided into 4 terms, for a total duration of approximately 6 months. It’s a long period of time, but only demands a few hours of your time each week, leaving you plenty of time to meet with your colleagues and work on implementing what you’re learning.
Each term is broken down into sections, and each section contains one or more lessons that are covered over the period of one week. Mostly, these lessons contain content that you can complete at any time during the week, but some sections include a group webinar in which you and the other students in the course can get together for a live, interactive presentation and Q&A.
An overview of the topics covered in each term is as follows:
Term 1: Planning
- Week 1: Assembling Your Project Team
- Week 2: Partner Agencies
- Week 3: Service Providers & Clusters
- Week 4: Consent and HIFIS 4
- Week 5: Access to Client Files
- Week 6: Collecting Personal Information
- Bonus: Geographic Regions
Term 2: Staff & Rights
- Week 1: Staff Roles in HIFIS 4
- Week 2: Data Sharing & User Rights
- Week 3: Shelters
- Week 4: Housing & Case Management
- Week 5: Light Touch Services
- Week 6: Service Interruptions
- Week 7: Housekeeping & Creative Solutions
- Week 8: User Testing & Feedback
- Bonus: Point-In-Time Counts
Term 3: Fine-Tuning
- Week 1: Administration & Supervision in HIFIS 4
- Week 2: Data Requirements & Reporting
- Week 3: Programs
- Week 4: Data Dictionary
- Week 5: Custom Forms
- Week 6: Inventories
- Bonus: By-Name Lists
Term 4: Launch
- Week 1: Getting Ready to Press the Big Red Button
- Week 2: Users & Training
- Week 3: Logging Issues & Change Management
- Week 4: Quality Assurance
- Bonus: Data Conversion
About the Instructor
Ali is Canada’s – nay, the world’s – leading expert on HIFIS 4. She is the owner, operator, and sole proprietor of ACRE Consulting, formed in 2016 to help communities understand and better make use of HIFIS 4.
She holds a Master’s degree in social planning and a background in political studies. She has expertise in system design and system mapping, plan development, stakeholder engagement, homelessness enumeration, program and outcome evaluations, as well as research and policy development. Ali is also proficient with many computer systems, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), reporting software such as Crystal Reports, design software such as Adobe Creative Suite, and dabbles in web design.
“Ali knows all about HIFIS! This term has really helped me figure how things work in HIFIS and how our community can get the most out of the system. Ali herself is very flexible and has answered all of my questions. She has made this process much easier for me with the way she breaks down the course and all the information she provides. I recommend ACRE Consulting to any community looking to set up HIFIS, you will not find this information any where else!”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Morgan Johnson, City of Yellowknife
“Loved the HIFIS 4 Masterclass! So helpful to have the materials available to refer back to through planning and implementation.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Caitlyn Bourque, Sudbury
“Ali, you are a born Teacher! Clear, fun and relevant. Particularly enjoyed the instructional videos. Bonus: Also, appreciated the Case Study examples that focused on alternative options to maximize the potential effectiveness of HIFIS 4. Well done! Many thanks to HIFIS Guru Ali!”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nancy Kalbfleisch, Lambton
Pricing options
Tier 1: Self-Directed Study
$12,000
$6,000
- Personalized database
- All course material
- All case studies
- All quizzes and assignments
Tier 2: Personalized Feedback
$15,000
$7,500
- Live seminars
- Individual check-in after each term
- Feedback on submitted configuration
Tier 3: One-on-One Coaching
$20,000
$10,000
- 20 additional hours of one-on-one coaching (5 hours per term)