Integrated Children's System

Enabling the delivery of joined-up services

One Integrated Children's System (ICS) helps meet this aim. In addition to compliance with the DfES requirements for ICS, it is unique as the only system that can bring the most current information from education and social care databases together, providing case workers with a single, holistic record of a child's circumstances. A single child record enables a more joined-up response to provide the children and families in care with the support they need, from the first moment they need it.

Instant access to information

The total view of the child that ICS provides (child protection information, looked after details and school data), ensures that better quality decisions can be made and that appropriate support for a child or a child’s family can be delivered more quickly. Social Care practitioners have instant access to information that could provide vital evidence in prioritising a child’s case. Data on a child’s school attendance, academic achievement, behaviour or special educational needs offers critical clues as to what type of services and support a child and their family require.

Simplifying case administration

Teams using ICS can run more efficiently, as the system is designed to simplify the process of case administration. Case workers have the flexibility to enter all the information on a child being assessed directly into ICS from a PC or laptop, whether they are working from the office or accessing details on a child out in the field. The system is designed to minimise the repetitive input of data, allowing staff to concentrate on delivering frontline services, saving time and reducing the risk of error.

Recording and analysing data

Identifying the most needy children is helped by making use of the data that the authority is already recording on children and turning this into meaningful information. ICS has been developed in close association with Social Care experts, and the powerful reporting capability within the system enables practitioners to record and analyse data on children with ease. Teams can modify templates to match their own requirements and extract the information they require, ensuring Children’s Services staff can quickly identify which children need urgent support. Alerts can identify cases that have not been followed up within the expected timeframe and an audit trail identifies which staff have been involved with a child from the beginning, ensuring case management is far simpler and the likelihood of  failing to give a child the right support is minimised.

(click here for more information on Integrated Children's System (ICS) Functionality Sheet)