Edinburgh IT boost for child protection

Edinburgh social work department is to install a £15m IT
system to help social workers carry out child protection
work.

The system has been designed to improve information-sharing between
social care, health, police and other agencies. Some of the
computers currently used by staff were installed in 1989 and are
shared by four members of staff.

The system will be phased in over the next three years and £2m
from the social work department’s annual budget will be allocated
to it.

The council’s child protection services came under attack in a
review into the death of 11-week-old Caleb Ness, who died at his
father’s hands, which concluded the baby’s death was
avoidable.

Meanwhile, Unison has said Edinburgh social workers working in
certain fields will miss out on an improved pay package because the
rises are being targeted at child protection in order to retain
staff. The union is now calling for a national review of the
profession and pay to eradicate inequalities.