Developing alternative systems

As identified above, staff had differing levels of computer literacy but, even those who were skilled in their use of a computer, found many aspects of the system difficult to cope with and had therefore begun to find methods of working around the EDB.

During my time in the team offices many, if not all, of the administrative staff, social workers and managers I met with spoke of having lost information on the EDB and that sometimes documents that were saved and were there one day but could not be found on other days. Social workers and front line mangers also commented on how difficult it was to actually type information onto the lengthy documents such as the Core Assessment (CA) and child protection reports because the free text boxes did not always provide sufficient space for what was to be recorded. The system also had a ‘time out’ data protection mechanism designed to ensure that if a case file were left open without being worked on the file would automatically shut down. However, to work on documents such as a CA the system opened up another page, or tab, which was independent of the electronic case file and therefore, when working on certain documents the system timed out and shut down. Staff would assume they were logged in because they were working on a document opened from the electronic case file but were actually working on a form which was in ‘computer limbo’ and not contained in the EDB and not contained in a word processing world. What this then meant was that input onto the CA (or any other lengthy document generated by the EDB) could only be done in short bursts (although no one seemed totally sure of how long a short burst actually was) to avoid being timed out. When completing a lengthy document the worker would not be aware the system had timed out until they came to save the document and would unable to do so. To get around this problem the key documents relevant to the Initial and Core Assessment process, Safeguarding Reports and Looked After Child Paperwork were all created as word based documents and so could be worked on without accessing the EDB. These forms could then be uploaded onto the EDB at a later date.

In my enquiries about the system, staff in the computer teams reported that front line staff did not use the system properly which resulted in documents being lost. In interviews conducted in relation to the in-depth cases and in office discussions front line staff complained that the system was not fit for purpose and randomly lost work. Whatever the reason, front line staff spoke of a high degree of mistrust in the system and were developing their own case recording and storing processes. As one social worker commented when I said I could not find a pre- birth assessment on a case file:

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No, that’s because it isn’t on the electronic file. I don’t trust it. Stuff just disappears never to be seen again. I keep all my copies of assessments and reports, anything that comes to me all together in my drawer. Then at the end of the proceedings I give it all to admin and they scan it into the system. They don’t like this because it is a major pain for them but I can’t stand the idea of anything getting lost during court proceedings. I am the one who has to stand on the witness stand and I am not going to look an idiot and say sorry because the information is lost on the system and the original document has been shredded!

(Carla. Family Support Team social worker interviewed in relation to in-depth cases)

Another social worker said:

I type everything onto Word, like I always have. That way I know where everything is and if I get a phone call asking for something I can produce it there and then. I cut and paste things into the EDB when I have finished working on things or when I am closing the case. The thing is, if you upload them and then work on them again you don’t always remember which is the latest version. If I keep it on my word files then I can record which is the latest version as I go along.

(Rosie. Family Support Team social worker interviewed in relation to in-depth cases)

With regard to letters and reports posted to the LA, one social worker reported:

What happens is admin open all post apart from that marked personal and confidential. So I have started telling other professionals to either send reports as an email attachment to me so I can then save on my desktop or to post them marked personal and confidential so it doesn’t get opened. I was asking them to fax things, and then I would stand by the fax machine so admin didn’t get their hands on it, but then [name of admin manager] spotted what I was doing and I got a bit of a telling off for not letting admin staff put stuff on the system when they should do (laugh).

(Carla. Family Support Team social worker interviewed in relation to in-depth cases)

As I spoke to different staff I found that keeping paper and word based documents that were not uploaded onto the system on a routine or regular basis was commonplace. One social worker said:

Most of us have started keeping info written down and hidden in our desks. It’s the only way you can work. It takes so long sometimes to get from the EDB even basic info like the child’s date of birth. It’s impossible to memorise the basic details of all of the kids you work with and if you didn’t write it down and keep it in your desk you would spend half your life messing about trying to find it.

(Family Support social worker, December 08)

Along with the LA’s move toward the paperless system the LA had removed filing cabinets from the team offices prompting one social worker to say:

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The thing is they have taken all of our filing cabinets! I keep as much as I can in my desk drawer but with all the other junk I keep in there, you know spare pair of tights for court, chocolate, cuppa soup, sometimes it is bulging with stuff. You can’t just leave confidential things around the office in boxes so I took as much as I could out of my desk that wasn’t confidential and started keeping that in a box but that wasn’t enough. You know what its like these days, there’s a bit of paper for everything and one child’s file can take up a whole filing cabinet drawer. Even the unborns generate a ton of paper. So I now keep stuff in the photocopy room. Some of the others in the team do that as well.

(Family Support social worker, December 08)

In the different social work offices I encountered many staff made similar comments to those quoted above. However, in addition to the systems social workers were developing, there was an undercurrent of panic developing amongst managers in relation to the likelihood of an unannounced Ofsted (a non ministerial department responsible for inspecting children’s services inspection) inspection. As one social worker said:

I hate the computer system. I am not the worlds best at typing and so I find it harder than some of the younger social workers. At first we were not allowed to put things in admin to type but now they are letting us because they are worried about an inspection and anyone finding out how bad things are.

(Family Support Social Worker November 08)

When I looked into the story behind the quote above I was told (by an administration manager and a team manager) that originally all social work and other front line staff had been advised by senior managers that they were responsible for their own case records. Administration staff would not be doing typing and instead administration time would be given to the scanning of documents and reception duties. Initially administration staff had been fearful for their jobs but it soon became apparent that not all social workers were able to keep up with their typing, general case recording and maintaining the electronic case file. As a result of this social workers and managers had advised senior managers that case notes were not up to date and, in response, senior managers had agreed additional administrative staff time to type up any handwritten notes. I was shown, in one team office, typing baskets full of hand written notes and reports awaiting input onto the EDB. Administrative staff also advised me that some typing had been taken to other bases (such as head office and support teams) so other typists could assist with the getting up-to-date with the backlog.

Apart from the potential impact of all the above on the quality of work with children and families, from a research perspective, I was, therefore, faced with the situation that not all information about an unborn child would necessarily be held on the electronic case file. Instead information could be held in several different formats with electronic data being stored on individual desk top computers and paper documents held in an array of different places

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including social workers’ desk drawers, typing baskets and some might even be physically in transit (usually in a manager’s car) from one office base to another.