27 Mar 2008
At least one in five local authorities in England will miss a vital deadline for the implementation of information sharing systems for social care professionals who work with vulnerable children.
The Integrated Children’s System (ICS) is part of Every Child Matters, the government policy established after the 2003 inquiry report into the murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie.
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A series of must-have enhancements to ICS was set in early 2007 by the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to be implemented by 31 March 2008 as part of Phase 1B of the initiative.
The deadline affects 150 authorities, but 30 are not expected to meet it and the number could be higher, according to sources.
Most affected councils are waiting for software from supplier Anite Public Sector, which will not be available until the end of May.
“We will not be meeting the 31 March deadline,” said a spokesman for one council using Anite software.
“The roadmap has slipped, so customers using Anite cannot possibly meet the deadline.”
Other councils are also experiencing delays, but Anite’s customers are worst affected, said Colin Gunner, consultant at local government user group Socitm.
“It’s not just Anite, but Anite is by far the worst, as most other suppliers have achieved Phase 1B compliance,” he said.
“I would put the number of affected councils at around 25 for Anite customers, and overall it’s about 30. Anite could deliver in May, but implementation will then take three to four months.”
Several councils that originally contracted Anite have already switched supplier.
“There has been a steady trickle of Anite customers coming to us following a series of missed deadlines,” said another vendor.
A number of councils will receive their software late, but the government has
approved the new target of 31 May, said Peter Houselander, director of health
and
social care at Anite Public Sector.
“The date is later than the initial target, but Anite’s plan to have the software ready in May has been approved by the DCSF,” he said.
A spokesman for DCSF said: “We are confident the vast majority of authorities will implement the basic ICS by 31 March 2008, but the department will of course monitor those that have not.”
I am a social worker pressed into using Anite ICS - I am considered the most computer literate in our division. I hate it, it is slow complicated and leaves both myself and colleagues at a point of resignation - I no longer have the time to visit families - application once taking ten minutes now take hours - the trainers know Anite speak but are unable to translate into social worker speak - documents don't print - when they do they are impossible to understand - what was once a 10 page document has been condensed to 57 pages of meaningless rubbish - we are currently seeking consultation with Unison as managers appear to be akin to the courtiers in the fairy tale "the kings new suit of clothes" WILL NO ONE LISTEN TO THE FRONT LINE : WE ARE MENTALLY DYING OUT HERE
Posted by: T Kirtley 06 Sep 2008
Sir
It was of little surprise to read about yet another government IT project being hit by delays (Child welfare IT hit by delays, 27th March). Despite all the high-profile, failed IT projects and wasted investments, it appears that organisations are continuing to burn money on IT projects that do not have the necessary planning and processes in place to ensure success.
For too long, a culture of failure and waste has been allowed to exist within the IT industry. However, the reality is that most of the problems we read about are very easily rectified. With the right business backing, the right tools and the right project management, IT projects could and should become a value-added asset for any organisation - whether the private or public sector.
A new approach is required; one that focuses on real integration between business goals and software delivery and focuses on best practice through planning, communication between the IT department and the business, and regular testing over the project lifecycle. Without this, we can regretfully expect to see more examples of IT project failures in the headlines.
Steve Gedney
Managing Director, UK & Northern Europe
Borland
Posted by: Steve Gedney 06 Apr 2008
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