This is the first guide to achieving long-term impact and social change in communities by employing critical, proven strategies in health and human services organisations. It is based on lessons learned from 20 human services organisations and their Chief Strategy Officers, who engineered significant improvements in their ability to adjust to change, reap the benefits of more data-driven decisions, innovate in ways that have meaningful impact and establish fruitful partnerships with companies, communities and government.

The contributions of human services leadership team members, Strategy Counts experts and clinicians explicitly describe the role of strategy in health and human services organisations and present tools and methods that have the greatest potential to enhance the effectiveness and resilience of these groups. The book is based on the findings of a long-term pilot project, The Alliance for Children and Families Strategy Counts initiative, which focused on various strategies and their effective deployment to enhance the social impact of nonprofit human service organisations. Replete with lessons learned and case studies, the book will inform a great variety of human services agencies and organisations in their quest to improve the lives of children, adults and families.