Parmjit Dhanda frees up children’s social workers with IT funding

Junior children’s minister Parmjit Dhanda today announced £13m would be invested in mobile IT equipment to help children’s social workers manage their caseloads and cut bureaucracy.

The money, which will be distributed to councils in line with the existing funding formula for children’s services, will fund laptops and personal digital assistants.

Dhanda claimed: “This will ultimately result in social workers spending more time having face to face meetings with the people they are there to support – society’s most vulnerable children.”

Guidance has been sent to directors of children’s services, but Dhanda stressed that all equipment would need to keep case information secure.