ChildStory go live must be delayed – October 2017 (PDF version)

Members were excited about the introduction of a new system that would “represent a once in a generation opportunity to create an information technology system that places the child at the centre of their story”.

This was the Department’s commitment.

The momentum is building to go live with ChildStory on 13 November following a 2 week delay to “fix” problems. The PSA is hearing from our very experienced members who have attended User Acceptance testing, Coaches and the Caseworker training, that ChildStory is nowhere near ready to go live.

It is imperative that ChildStory allows you to do your job more easily. As it is, the opposite will be the case.  ChildStory needs to be put back to next year in order to get it right.

The PSA will be meeting with the Minister on 7 November (read our letter HERE) to discuss the many issues that need to be resolved before ChildStory can be successfully implemented.

Not fit for purpose

It is extremely disappointing that ChildStory is just not fit for purpose.

Some of the more serious issues are:

• It is not intuitive. Our members have stated that it is actually less user friendly than KIDS

• No quick, clear global view of a child’s records

• No phonetic search capability. This will have a major impact at the Helpline when the reported child’s name is misspelt which is very common

• Training manual and support documents are either not ready or inadequate. There are errors, gaps, incorrect information and basic omissions

• Coaches and trainers are not receiving the training and support required to deliver or coach training

• Some trainers are contractors with no knowledge of policy or practice

• There are many more clicks than KIDS for almost all processes

• There are many defects and at least 40% – 50% of tasks could not be completed during training due to defects

• Supporting documents are not available

• Policy has not been written.

It appears the whole system is fragmented and there is no support structure in place.

Recruitment hasn’t even finished establishing the central support teams which were meant to have been in place 3 months before go live.

Leaving vulnerable children at risk of harm

Our members in Community Services are the first responders to all children reported as being at risk of significant harm.

Our members are committed to keeping children safe either within their homes or, if unsafe, in Out of Home Care. Our members deal with traumatic life events, domestic violence and with the most extreme sexual, physical and emotional abuse of vulnerable children and they do this work to make a difference in the lives of children and their families.

It is therefore imperative that service delivery should not be compromised.

If it is, children will be the casualties. We won’t stand for that.