Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services Empowers 2,000 Case Workers with Esper

Why MDCPS Chose Esper

MDCPS recognized that its existing policy management approach was inefficient, creating unnecessary barriers to compliance, collaboration, and accessibility. The agency chose Esper because it offered:

• A Centralized Policy System: Esper provided a single source of truth for all policies, eliminating the inconsistencies of scattered physical documents.
• Automated Policy Workflows: The platform’s automation streamlined policy drafting, review, and approval, removing reliance on email chains and outdated document sharing.
• Compliance and Risk Management: With Esper, MDCPS could ensure staff and the public accessed only the most current policies, reducing the risk of outdated or conflicting regulations.
• Managing Complex Policy Lifecycle: Given MDCPS’s need to manage hundreds of policies simultaneously, Esper’s workflow tools provided a structured, efficient way to handle multiple policy updates at different stages.
• Institutional Knowledge Retention: With Esper, MDCPS could preserve past policies and ensure institutional knowledge remained within the agency, even as staff changed.

Challenges Before Esper

Prior to adopting Esper, MDCPS struggled with a fragmented and outdated system for managing policies:

• Scattered Documentation: Policies were stored across shared drives, personal computers, and even outdated paper-based formats.
• Version Control Issues: Different versions of policies existed in multiple locations, leading to inconsistencies and compliance risks.
• Manual Policy Workflows: Policy drafting and approval were managed via emails and Word documents, making collaboration cumbersome and inefficient.
• Regulatory Compliance Gaps: Staff had difficulty accessing the most current policies, leading to enforcement challenges and potential legal risks.
• Limited Institutional Knowledge Retention: Key policy knowledge was often siloed within individuals rather than accessible across the agency.

“Before Esper, managing policies across our divisions was overwhelming. Policies were scattered, outdated, and difficult to track. Now, with Esper, we have a streamlined, efficient system that ensures our policies are always current and accessible. It has been a game-changer for our agency.”

Philip Parker

MDCPS Operations Director

Results After Implementing Esper

MDCPS implemented Esper’s policymaking platform to centralize policy management, improve collaboration, and streamline compliance tracking. The results have been transformational:

• A Single Source of Truth: All policies are now housed in a centralized digital repository, eliminating confusion over outdated versions.
• Improved Workflow Efficiency: Automated policy workflows enable seamless drafting, reviewing, and approval, reducing reliance on email-based coordination.
• Enhanced Compliance & Risk Reduction: Staff and the public can easily access the latest policies, ensuring adherence to state and federal mandates.
• Scalability & Adaptability: With over 300 active policies in different stages of review, Esper’s flexible workflow tools allow MDCPS to efficiently manage multiple updates simultaneously.
• Stronger Institutional Knowledge Management: Historical policies and new updates are preserved in an easily searchable system, safeguarding agency knowledge over time.

MDCPS chose Esper because it provided the modern, scalable solution the agency needed to efficiently manage policies while improving compliance and accessibility. The success of this partnership demonstrates how innovative policy management can drive better service delivery for government agencies.