Are all Adult Services across the country run in the same way with IT seeming to be at the forefront of delivery before social work itself? Anyone want to discuss this?

What exactly do you mean by IT - you seem to be implying IT is a bad thing - surely that depends on how it is used.   

IT seems to be a bit of a bugbear across social work.

A survey last year by the old Association of Directors of Social Services found real problems implementing the electronic social care record, including reluctance among front-line staff to move away from paper records.

I know on the children's side, we've heard of social workers finding IT processes (notably around the integrated children's system) to be mechanistic, taking them away from doing social work itself (for instance, having to input data into a computer while talking to a client, preventing face-to-face contact).

Has this been your experience, Rosie?

This seems a bit of an empty moan. We all know that records have to be made and kept, for the sake of the worker and the client. The arguments are really finished as to whether this is best done by writing on paper or typing into a computer. It may be that the technology offered, or the IT system is not up to scratch, but that then is to be argued over for improvement, not going back to pen and (easily lost) paper.

Surfer's point, if I understood it properly, is that social workers need to accept the inevitable i.e. the IT invasion. This may be the case but it would be nice if Surfer can also make the case for the social work profession. Whereas every social worker employer seems to agree that IT is necessary, no one seems to agree which IT system is the best. In London alone IT systems such as Protechnic, e-PEX, e-PEX3, SWIFT, SAGE and Warehousing are used, and this in addition to ssid (which may still be in use somewhere).

In terms of improvement, what about harmonisation of all these systems for starters? This will surely enhance the mobility of social workers from one employer to the other. This is because the current situation wherein a social worker lacking the knowledge of a particular IT system may be disadvantaged from getting a job interview or indeed a job will cease to exist.

Does anyone know about any other IT systems in use by social workers either as part of social services or NHS Trusts?

In Newcastle we have yet another new system which is designed to make the Social Workers life easier. Does it work? Yes I feel that given time and get rid of the little bugs in the system it will. It will allow the worker to be more informative in reports without having to do reems of pages. It will support the use of organisational skills regarding timescales which whetehr we like or not are very important. It will support the professionalism of completing paperwork and show other organisations that we are professioanls and not just pen pushers (no offense intended).

We need to move with the times but remain mindful that we are fully accountable for our work and actions and I do feel that computers systems will enable us to prove that we are. for example, how many times do we hear the words "I have phoned you all week and you didnt phone me back"? by using computerised systems this statement can be checked as all calls are logged. This makes other professionals also accountable and shows if they are not communicating with you. Remember what the Leeming report as many others (too many others) stated "lack of communication" was a major part of the concerns.

This is just a simplistic look at the positives of the systems. There must be loads more if anyone would care to share it with us all.

Of course we need computers, but just how much is spent each year on hardware, software and maintenance costs? Why is it that a department can be cutting services, or have staff vacancies, or put staff in poor accommodation, then find squillions for a new system which invariably includes spending huge amounts on consultants?

 Hi MaryH

That's an interesting point. For some reason, spending on new computer systems always seems more acceptable to management than spending on staff. Part of the problem is the fact that software companies design ever more complex programmes which require ever more powerful computers, so we will seemingly never be in a position where the computers we have are up to the job for more than a few months.

And don't get me started on consultants! 

The problem here is the Government. It would be straightforward (though not easy to implement) for the DH to set out clearly what is required for social care IT systems and to tender for such systems, maybe selecting 2 or 3 suppliers and so giving LAs some choice about which system they implement.

 But, for Political reasons, the DH won't do this, because it would mean it was responsible and would have to consider carefully every occasion when new legislation or new demands for data were implemented. It is much easier for the DH to leave it to LAs, because it can then blame them for any problems. It can also be cavalier about making demands on LAs which mean (potentially expensive) changes or additions to IT systems.

That's a real problem given it's the DH who is calling on social workers to implement the electronic social care record etc.

We've run several stories about the problems caused by the lack of integration between developments with the ESCR and equivalent records in health and children's services, and between different councils using different systems and specifications.

The guidance, as I understand it, is somewhat out of date and not very specific - allowing a thousand flowers to bloom doesn't seem to be that clever when computers need to talk to each other, as surfer points out.

Things appear, inevitably, a lot more centrally directed on the NHS side and, with the DCSF on the children's side.

I think we may look back at this time as the era we gave up our minds to computers. Do you remember when people used to interact at work? Now people just stare, glassy-eyed, into their screens, the only sound the occasional clicking of a mouse...