Enter and Update a Group Session or Workshop
Table of Contents
Group Sessions in HomeKeeper are designed to track important details about your workshops, classes, and any other gatherings hosted by your organization. This includes group education activity to be reported to HUD in your 9902. Follow the instructions below to create and update Group Session information.
NOTE: After you have updated and saved a Group Session, you can add registrants from this page by adding Counseling/Education Records, or from the Service Files using the Register for Group Sessions quick actions. Learn how to register attendees for Group Sessions here.
Step One: Navigate to the Group Sessions Object
Select the "Group Sessions" tab. Change the List View to "All" to check if your Group Session is already listed in HomeKeeper.
If it's not there, click “New” to create a new Group Session.
If your Group Session already exists, you can click on the arrow to the right and select Edit:
Step Two: Update Important Fields on Group Session
Complete as many fields as possible with information about your Group Session. Make sure to fill out “Title” (the name or title of the session), as well as “Group Session Date and Time.”
NOTE: After saving, the "Group Session Name" will update to an automated format, including the Title and the Group Session Date and time.
If you are reporting your education activity to HUD, be sure to fill out:
- Counselor
- Group Session Duration
- Group Session Type
- Activity Type
- Attributable HUD Grant
- Report to HUD = TRUE
Step Three: Double-Check “HUD Helper” fields to ensure all required fields are complete
If reporting to HUD, you will be prompted to check that Group Session fields are complete prior to reporting, using the "HUD Helper" fields - the two fields in the right-hand column underneath the Report to HUD? checkbox.
WARNING: If you don't see HUD fields and you are a HUD-certified counseling Agency reporting to HUD, please contact HomeKeeper Support at support@myhomekeeper.org.
Tracking Multi-Part Series - Two Different Models
It's common for agencies to have workshops that span multiple days. While we expect attendees to attend them all in sequence, it's also common for them to miss a session and need to make it up later. We'll discuss here the different options for setting up Series:
There are two competing rationales to select one method or the other. Methods 1&2 make the initial registration simplest, where Method 3 makes the HUD reporting simplest.
Ultimately, HUD wants organizations to report who has completed education, whether it is a single course or series, that gets aggregated up to the 9902. The 9902 does not count length or hours, simply how many completed the course.
Method 1: Create one Group Session for each Series Instance
With this method, you create all of the sessions for each series instance. When registering, you can use the Register for Multiple Sessions button to sign up for up to 4 sessions in one acvtion.
- Pros: This most closely matches real life, with each session available for registration independently and specific dates already entered. Clients are able to be registered for whichever session they need to attend.
- Cons: Register for Multiple Group Sessions must be used at each instance and is more time-intensive. It is also limited to 4 sessions at a time, so longer sessions will take longer to register for. It's also typically unclear for the clients to know which session they need to register for. Attendance is taken individually each session, but only one can be reported to HUD that includes all that completed.
Method 2: Create one Group Session for the Series, then use SuperClone to split it into Series components
With this method, you create the primary Group Session for the series course. Everyone registers for the single course, whether they're taking it for the first time or are making up a part in the series. Once the first session is complete and attendance is being taken, we use a tool called SuperClone to create the next parts of the series as well as all of the registrations. Attendance is taken individually each session, but only one can be reported to HUD that includes all that completed.
- Pros: This makes registration easier, as they only have to sign up once. Superclone allows you to Clone the Group Session and all of the attendees with one action.
- Cons: If attendees need to make up a session, staff either have to wait until it is split to register them or register them for all and mark them as no-shows for the sessions they don't attend. Courses may also have a mix of individuals who completed all sessions and those who did not.
Method 3: Create one Group Session for the Series
With this method, you create one Group Session for workshop, whether it is a series or single course. Attendance sheets can be created off of the main course for each and is tracked manually. At the end of the series, mark attended those that completed while noting which courses need to be made up for the rest. They can register for a future session and be reported as complete in the month/series they completed their final course.
- Pros: The simplest option, this allows reporting for the series on one Group Session record
- Cons: This does not publish the subsequent dates for sessions at any point, and attendees cannot be registered for individual sessions for make-ups, just the course. Attendance for sessions are captured manually outside of HomeKeeper and partial attendance can be tracked in separate notes fields or log items.