The Restricted Census Access feature is an optional database enhancement used to configure client chart access for users with the "Restricted Census Access" permission. That permission restricts users in ALL programs they have access to so that they will not see any client charts unless they are specifically granted access to those clients within this feature.
Required Permissions
Because the Restricted Census Access feature is optional, it is not automatically available in all databases. When requested, it is turned on behind-the-scenes in AWARDS. (Contact the Help Desk to make this functionality available in your AWARDS database.) In order to use this feature once it has been turned on, you must have the following permission:
- Restricted Census Access - Configuration
In addition, unless you are a member of the "Executive Officer" and "System Administrator" user group, you must have at least ONE of the following permissions:
- Display Executive Administration Buttons
- Permissions Data Entry
- Permissions Data Entry for All Staff and Layers
Permissions are assigned using the Permissions Maintenance feature. If you do not have access to that feature and need a permission listed here, please contact your supervisor or your local Help Desk for assistance.
Working with Restricted Census Access Records
To add or delete a restricted census access record, complete the following steps from the AWARDS Home screen:
IMPORTANT! In order to restrict a worker's census access, first assign that individual the Restricted Census Access exception override permission using the Permissions Maintenance feature. Doing so hides ALL clients in ALL programs that the user has access to. Once that's been done, use the instructions detailed here to grant the worker access to specific client charts as needed.
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Click Administration from the left-hand menu, and then click System Setup. The System Setup fly-out menu displayed.
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Click Login Maintenance, and then click Restricted Census Access. The Restricted Census Access index page is displayed.
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Click the Program drop-down arrow in the upper-right corner of the page and select the program associated with the client for whom access is to be granted or revoked.
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Click the Client drop-down arrow and select the client for whom access is to be granted or revoked.
If the restricted access records to be worked with are for a former (discharged) client, first click the Archives toggle to the right of the client selection option.
The index page is automatically refreshed to display any existing records for workers who have restricted census access for the selected client.
When working on the index page, records are easily accessible using the following tools and navigation features:
- Sorting options - By default records in the index are sorted alphabetically by employee name; however, the index can also be sorted by Start Date and Created By. To do so, click the corresponding column header in the table. Clicking a column heading a second time reverses the sort order.
- Navigation options - 10 records are displayed on the page by default. To access records on subsequent pages of the index (when applicable), click the arrows in the bottom-right corner of the table. To display 25 or 50 records at a time, click the Show drop-down to the left of the record count, also in the bottom-right corner, and make a selection.
Once you select records on the index, a count of how many total records are selected is displayed in the action bar. Selections are maintained while moving from one page of the index to the next; meaning, you can select records on the first page (showing records 1-10 by default) and move to the next page (displaying records 11-20) without losing the selections made on the first page. Links for Show all selected records and Uncheck All are available beneath the index table for easy navigation.
- Search and filtering options - A Search field is available on the action bar along with a corresponding Filter by drop-down list. To search the contents of the index (including those records not currently displayed on the page), enter a value in the Search field. The index is automatically updated as you type. To further narrow your search, use the Filter by selection to indicate whether the search should look at data in "All Columns" (the default) or a specific column.
- ReportBuilder access - The Restricted Census Access ReportBuilder link on the left-hand menu bar provides a shortcut to access the ReportBuilder for this feature. For instructions on using that ReportBuilder, click here.
- At this time complete one or more of the following data entry tasks as needed:
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Add a new access record (grant access) - To do so, click the add new icon from the action bar above the records table. A new data entry page is displayed. From the Employees list, click the checkbox next to each worker to be granted access to the selected client's record in the selected program, and then click Save.
The employee checklist includes ALL workers who have chart access to the selected program. If you inadvertently select a worker who does not have the Restricted Census Access permission, his/her access to this client's records is NOT affected.
The access record is saved, and a confirmation page is displayed. This page displays a single list of the employees who have been granted access, but each employee record appears as its own row when viewed in the Restricted Census Access records index. The Start Date for each of those records is today's date (the data entry date).
IMPORTANT! The record you have just created applies only to the selected client and program combination. If a worker should have full access across all of the programs in which the client is enrolled, repeat the steps above for each of those programs individually.
Delete an existing access record (remove access) - To do so, click the checkbox(es) to the left of the record(s) to be deleted, and then click the delete icon from the action bar above the records table. A confirmation message is displayed. Click OK to proceed with the deletion. The selected record(s) are now deleted, the employee's access to the selected client's records in the selected program is removed, and the updated index is displayed.
Return to the Restricted Census Access index - To do so, click the To Index icon from the action bar while working in an access record to return to the index page. You can also return to the index page at any time by clicking Restricted Census Access from the breadcrumbs trail below the AWARDS navigation bar.
The process of working with restricted census access records is now complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does AWARDS have the equivalent of an auditor login?
The Restricted Census Access feature provides agencies with a great way to set up an auditor login by removing access to all client records in a program, except for those explicitly granted.
- What does AWARDS look like for workers who have Restricted Census Access?
The functionality available in AWARDS when accessed by a user who has been configured with Restricted Census Access varies from that of an average user; specifically in these areas:
- Calendar - Restricted users can only access the Calendar using the "Staff" view. Additionally, client list is limited to those to whom they have been granted explicit access.
- Client History Report - This report cannot be accessed from within the Client Search tool (which is hidden for restricted workers); instead, it must be accessed from within the Reports module. The Client drop-down on the report settings page for this report will be restricted to clients the user has been granted explicit access for. The content of the report itself includes the same details provided to a non-restricted user, according to program chart access and cross-chart access.
To access the Client History Report from the Reports module, a user must have the "Display Chart Records Outcomes Button" permission (assigned under System Setup > Permissions Maintenance).
- Client Search - This feature is not available in the navigation bar for restricted users.
- Client Selection Lists - These lists (when in either data entry mode or when viewing reports) are limited to clients to which the user has been explicitly granted access from within the Restricted Census Access feature. Exceptions to this rule include the list of clients displayed when writing a group note, and the list of clients displayed when entering an incident.
- ReportBuilders - When using ReportBuilders restricted users are limited to running reports for a single client at a time (and only for those clients to which they have been granted explicit access).
- Other Unavailable Features - The following reports and features are not accessible to restricted users:
Contact Lapse Audit Report
Medicaid Services Report
Operations module
Program Profile Report
Program History Corrections
IMPORTANT! The following areas of AWARDS are NOT impacted by restricted census access:
Housing
Transfers
Group Notes
Incidents
Active/Inactive Roster Status
Group Activities
Group Schedule Setup > Group Member Status
Outreach Mailing
Reception Desk > Program Attendance
As a result, restricted users should NOT be given permissions to access these areas, as doing so will enable them to see the full census in accessible programs.
- What is "Status" reporting on in the Restricted Census Access ReportBuilder?
The "Status" data variable in the Restricted Census Access ReportBuilder will display one of two values in the report contents:
- Granted - Indicates that the worker has been granted access with the Restricted Census Access feature.
- Bypass - Indicates that the worker does not have the Restricted Census Access permission assigned using System Setup > Permissions Maintenance.
- Where can I find a record of restricted access additions and/or removals?
Additions and deletions of Restricted Census Access are captured in the audit trail and can be viewed using the Audit Trail ReportBuilder. To narrow ReportBuilder results to only these records, create a filter of "Module equals Restricted Census Access."
- Why am I seeing a client in program A but not program B? I have restricted access for him/her.
Restricted Census Access must be granted to workers for each individual program a client is in; it is not saved at the client level.
- Why am I seeing terminated employees on the Restricted Census Access index?
The index displays all workers who have been granted access to the selected client within the selected program, even terminated workers. To remove terminated workers from the index, delete the corresponding records using the process detailed here.
- Why is a user who has a restricted login unable to access the Client History Report from the Reports module?
To access the Client History Report from the Reports module, you must have the "Display Chart Records Outcomes Button" permission (assigned under System Setup > Permissions Maintenance). To request this permission, please contact the Help Desk.
Related Reports
Other Helpful Resources
Training Films & Demonstrations
- Restricted Census Access (8 min)