Seal of Dane County County of Dane
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Dane County Department of Human Services

About Dane County's Department of Human Services

Dane County's Human Services programs serve people from birth to death. We make sure children are safe and support healthy families. We offer support for the elderly, and those with disabilities, substance use issues, and mental health needs. We also assist with basic economic needs, including housing, employment, food, and medical requirements.

Vision

Empowered people thriving in safe, just, and caring communities.

Mission

Provide access to effective, innovative, and evidence-based services and resources that support wellbeing, opportunities to thrive, safety, and justice to persons of all backgrounds.

Value Statements

ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY

We are stewards of public resources. We commit to the evaluation and review of our services and programs. We will be as transparent as possible through open communication within our own organization, with our partners, and with the communities we serve.

COLLABORATION

We commit to building collaborative, inclusive, and informed relationships with staff, clients, partners, and the larger community to foster trust, respect, and effective partnerships across all programs and services.

RACIAL JUSTICE

We commit to pursuing racial justice through institutional change to actively dismantle policies, practices, messages, and attitudes that both perpetuate and fail to eliminate racism and differential outcomes by race.

DIVERSITY

We celebrate our differences, recognizing diversity as a strength that will help us effectively tackle the challenges we collectively face. We strive to create an inclusive culture by authentically bringing diverse voices and perspectives into discussions and decision-making.

EMPATHY

We recognize the existence of generational, historical, community and personal trauma. We approach every interaction, with clients and staff, with the empathy and compassion necessary to address trauma and repair harm.

GROWTH AND LEARNING

We commit to organizational learning and growth by listening, training, collaborating, and innovating, to ensure that our work is responsive, current, engaged, and focused on positive change.

 

DCDHS acknowledges the harm caused by systems that contribute to socio-economic and other disparities and inequitable outcomes, especially among communities of color. DCDHS understands that these systems still exist and seeks to chart a path of improvement by committing to a new aspirational vision, mission, and set of values.