Cal-OAR Resources and Best Practices Guidelines
Cal-OAR is a local, data-driven program management system that facilitates continuous improvement of county CalWORKs programs by collecting, analyzing, and disseminating outcomes and best practices. As required by Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) 11523, Cal-OAR consists of three core components: performance indicators, a county CalWORKs self-assessment (Cal-CSA), and a CalWORKs system improvement plan (Cal-SIP), which includes a peer review component.
The Cal-OAR continuous quality improvement (Cal-CQI) process (which includes the Cal-CSA and Cal-SIP) will take place over five-year cycles, with a Cal-CSA and Cal-SIP required from each county once every five years. The first Cal-OAR cycle commenced on July 1, 2021 with the implementation of Cal-OAR.
The Cal-OAR team is gathering and sharing county feedback to give each county a chance to share their experiences to improve processes, while also helping each cohort to see the successes and suggestions of other county welfare departments. We strongly encourage a collaboration to learn from each other’s experiences, best practices and lessons learned.
Cal-OAR Best Practices:
- Cal-OAR Project Management (General)
- Cal-CSA (County Self-Assessment)
- Cal-SIP (System Improvement Plan)
- Progress Report