Laming plan for national ICS is ‘premature’, warn experts

By Sally Gillen on March 16, 2009 in Child safeguarding, Children, Workforce

Lord Laming’s proposal that there should be a national Integrated Children’s System has been criticised as “premature”.

In his report last week on safeguarding, Laming was critical of the case management system used by social workers, saying: “Professional practice and judgement are being compromised by an overcomplicated, lengthy tick-box and recording system.”

He added: “Too much time and money is being spent is being spent at local level trying to correct the failings of individual systems and stronger national leadership of ICS is needed.”

Laming recommended that the Department for Children Schools and Families undertake a feasibility study with a view to rolling out a single national Integrated Children’s System, which would be better able to address the concerns identified in this report. He said the study should be completed within six months of the report

Attack on Laming

But Dr Eileen Munro, reader in social policy at the London School of Economics, said: “He doesn’t grasp what the problems are. He offers no evidence to back the claim that some social workers find it helpful.

“The studies done by teams from Lancaster and York universities show the problems are deep-rooted. It is premature to have a national system when we haven’t yet got a decent system.”

Child protection consultant and trainer Perdeep Gill said: “It is not working and it needs to be scrapped.”