At DSHS, our House of Health and Human Services priorities are the driving force behind our agency’s Strategic Plan goals. Each administration contributes to shaping our DSHS Strategic Plan.
We Are One DSHS
This page showcases Office of the Secretary specific goals, along with action plans and success measures. From advancing innovative initiatives to supporting our staff's employee life cycle, the future of our agency is bright.
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OOS Strategic Goals
In the strategic planning process, we identify three key components.
- The Strategic Goals: Sets the goal that we are striving to achieve.
- The Action Plan: Our action strategies to get there.
- The Success Measure: The outcome to achieve a goal.
Read in detail below about all of the components of OOS's strategic goals. OOS's Strategic Plan Metrics, coming soon.
Strategic plan index: Jump to a section of the plan by clicking the Strategic Goal (SG)
- Advance economic justice by ensuring all people in Washington have their foundational needs met.
- Advance comprehensive structural and behavioral transformation to become a proactive-equity and anti-racist agency.
- Improve organizational infrastructure to optimize process-driven outcomes and reduce agency risk and liability.
- Increase staff stabilization to become an agency of excellence.
- Invest in technological advances to continually improve our services.
Strategic Goal #1: Advance economic justice by ensuring all people in Washington have their foundational needs met.
The Action Plan:
- Adopt the self-sufficiency standard as the agency's north star measure of economic stability and align policies, programs, and funding to address the foundational needs of the individuals and families we serve.
Success Measure:
1.1: The Economic Justice team will present to 100% of administrations/divisions to increase awareness of the self-sufficiency standard by June 2025.
1.2: The Economic Justice team will work with the Integrated Eligibility & Enrollment Project, Research & Data Analysis Division, and Economic Services Administration Management Analytics and Performance Statistics on the feasibility of incorporating the self-sufficiency standard into the intake and data systems of Economic Services Administration by June 2025.
1.3: The Economic Justice team will work with Economic Services Administration Management Analytics and Performance Statistics, Technology Innovation Administration, and Research & Data Analysis Division to make progress on establishing baseline data for the median rate of self-sufficiency for clients served by divisions (or by programs) by December 2025.
1.4: Within DSHS, every division serving clients will complete an analysis of options to achieve a higher rate of self-sufficiency for those receiving services by June 2025.
1.5: The Economic Justice team will work with each division to establish benchmark goals to increase the median rate of client self-sufficiency by June 2026.
1.6: The annual DSHS Employee Survey will include a question to establish a baseline awareness of self-sufficiency standard by June of 2025 with subsequent years showing significant improvement.
1.7: DSHS will raise the median rate of client self-sufficiency by benchmarks established by divisions by June 2027.
Strategic Goal #2: Advance comprehensive structural and behavioral transformation to become a proactive-equity and antiracist agency.
The Action Plan:
- Lead DSHS in the adoption of antiracist policies, behaviors, and attitudes to improve employee satisfaction and customer service delivery through expert consultation, policy and program development, and awareness building.
- Promote equity and justice for DSHS customers and workforce through technology innovations that increase organizational performance and system change in business operations and service lines.
- Invest in DSHS workforce leadership competencies and community relationships to improve customer outcomes through employee professional development and relational partnering improvements.
Success Measure:
2.1: 75% of employees will respond somewhat agree/strongly agree they gained anti-bias insights and skills to foster an antiracist agency by June 30, 2027.
2.2: 75% of employees will respond somewhat agree/strongly agree they found work related value in leadership-led or sponsored Equity Diversity Access and Inclusion discussions and presentations by June 30, 2027.
2.3: 75% of new employees will somewhat agree/strongly agree they gained insights and skills to create a culture of belonging in the workplace, by July 31, 2026.
2.4: 100% of complaints received through the DSHS Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator will have received a timely response to the question or issue by September 30, 2025.
2.5: 90% of employees will indicate somewhat agree/strongly agree they received the knowledge and skills to provide required Language Access Services by August 31, 2025.
2.6: 100% of public facing websites, mobile applications and digital content will be compliant with Title II of Americans with Disabilities Act by April 1, 2026.
2.7: 75% of community members participating in DSHS convened workgroups, taskforces, or councils will somewhat agree/strongly agree the engagement was valuable by June 30, 2027.
2.8: 75% of employees who completed an Office of Equity, Diversity, Access, and Inclusion sponsored professional development course, session, or activity will somewhat agree/strongly agree it was valuable to their Equity, Diversity Access and Inclusion/Antiracism/Belonging journey by June 30, 2027.
Strategic Goal #3: Improve organizational infrastructure to optimize process-driven outcomes and reduce agency risk and liability.
The Action Plan:
- Provide leadership, and invest in training, consultations, compliance, and risk mitigation program improvements to support advancements throughout the department in emergency management, safety, legal discovery, Civil Rights investigations, public records, internal audits and privacy.
- Invest in technology for creative solutions to reduce risk for DSHS discovery, Office of Justice and Civil Rights compliance in processing investigations and complaints and Public Disclosure redaction.
- Continue to improve safety and security operations across the department by supporting Fentanyl interventions, use of Naloxone when appropriate, de-escalation training, and other key initiatives to support a safe workplace.
- Provide effective, timely and high-quality communication about the Department of Social and Health Services, internally and externally, in collaboration with our partners.
- Expand department expertise in working with tribes and elevate government-to-government capacity.
Success Measure:
3.1: Staff, train, and resource three incident management teams named the East, West, and the Emergency Coordination Center teams. Each team will consist of a minimum of 16 personnel with members completing ICS position-specific level training: 2 people for each command staff and section chief position by 2027.
3.2: Maintain the number of confidentiality breaches to 30 or less each calendar year for years 2024, 2025, 2026.
3.3: Maintain the number of public records requests closed within 5 days at 50% or more each calendar year for years 2024, 2025 and 2026.
3.4: Achieve a 50% reduction in repeat Safety and Health Assessment findings by July 2027.
3.5: Reduce Office of Justice and Civil Rights investigations timeframes so the average investigation and report does not extend beyond six months by July 2027.
3.6: Successfully train and maintain 50 practicing de-escalation trainers throughout all administrations by July 2027.
3.7: Increase DSHS social media presence and increase engagement by 5% on major platforms by July 2027.
3.8: DSHS will invest in the operationalization of the Governor’s Tribal Leaders Social Services Council (GTLSSC) to meet 80% of our strategic goals by July 2026.
Strategic Goal #4: Increase staff stabilization to become an agency of excellence.
The Action Plan:
- Provide reliable and high quality strategic human resource support services using technology, innovation, and customer focus to consult, recruit, train and retain our workforce.
- Lead DSHS to national excellence in innovation, customer service, communication and the use of cutting-edge tools.
Success Measure:
4.1: Create and maintain tools and resources for DSHS supervisors regarding applicant assessment, training, consulting, leave management, labor relations, compliance and risk mitigation by 2026.
4.2: Establish and implement a consistent process and tools for employee investigations by January 2026.
4.3: Implement a leadership development program to support retention and workforce stability through the promotion of inclusive best practices and creating a culture of belonging in DSHS, by January 2026.
4.4: Increase employee responses, somewhat/strongly agree from 43% June 2024 to 53% July 2027 for Employee Survey question, “I feel supported during organizational change at this agency.”
4.5: Increase employee responses, somewhat/strongly agree from 66% June 2024 to 71% by July 2027 for Employee Survey question, ‘I can see a clear link between my work and my agency’s vision.”
4.6: Increase employee responses, somewhat/strongly agree from 61% June 2024 to 71% July 2027 for Employee Survey question, “I am encouraged to come up with better ways of doing things.”
4.7: Customer satisfaction responses will increase by 10% July 2027 for OISVC customer survey question, “How likely are you to recommend our services to a friend or colleague.”
Strategic Goal #5: Invest in technological advances to continually improve our services.
The Action Plan:
- Improve DSHS internal audit processes and risk management activities with state-of-the-art software to increase transparency, track corrective actions and continue standardization of governance, risk, and compliance processes.
Success Measure:
5.1: Achieve an increased efficiency for Internal Audit processes by 10% with the new software by July 2027.
5.2: Implement three Origami projects in the next five years that improve or automate processes associated with risk management activities or regulatory compliance such as tort claim management, internal audit, incident management and response, and Behavioral Health Administration Coordinated Quality Improvement Program.