Speaking at Capita Children's Services annual conference last week, Donna Shkalla, head of management information for children, families and education at Kent County Council, claimed social workers find the Integrated Children's System (ICS) unwieldy.
She said the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) framework is too complex for practitioners, children and families. It requires social workers to fill out forms, which include up to 900 data fields.
"Social workers say the processes they used before ICS protected and managed cases, but they feel that the ICS framework doesn't do the same thing," she said.
She added that frontline workers, who are "incredibly frustrated" by lengthy computerised forms, often have to write supplementary notes because they cannot tell a child's story using ICS.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
