Making Use of Information in Children's Social Services

Making Use of Information in Children's Social Services is the final report of a 3-year project with six local authorities in Wales. The project identified some of the key obstacles to the use and flow of information, many of which will need to be addressed in order to support the implementation of the Integrated Children's System.

The report examines the practical difficulties in obtaining information for key indicators; the problems arising from multiple, separate recording systems; and the difficulty of obtaining outputs, even where information has successfully been recorded in a single system.

It concludes that the most important reason for information shortfall is not the lack of adequate computer systems and software, but an organisational culture where information is not clearly defined, known and used.

Emphasis is placed on the importance of providing a system, which supports the day-to-day operations of case management, which empowers practitioners and administrative staff and hence motivates them to record accurately and punctually.

Once such good quality information is captured it is a relatively easy task to aggregate it for analysis at team and service level and to provide the indicators required for performance management and statistical returns to government.

Click to download the report from the centre for child and family research website.