IT Systems for Children

I mentioned a day or two ago about the ContactPoint system which we are spending £280k on in the next two years.

I wouldn't want you to think that this is the only IT spend in the Children's and Families budget - so I'll tell you what else there is.

Ignoring structural projects for schools, children's centres, etc, these are some of the systems also in the Child protection/social care area just for next year:

Integrated Children's Systems (ICS) - £656,000
Contact Point (already mentioned) - £231,000
Electronic Social Care Records - £250,000
PCT Access to Child protection data - £25,000

A grand total of just under £1.2 million.

As anyone who works in IT will know, a system won't provide you with a solution. It's only as good as the management structures/process/procedure around it. The drivers for these projects aren't coming internally, they're coming from central government. The overload of technology is an attempt to circumvent the need for good management, and it won't work.

As an authority, we should be pushing back against it more. But we're not - we just tend to go with the flow. It will cost us in £'s no doubt, I only hope it doesn't cost us in the quality of social care as well.