Computer system problems still angering BC social workers
Posted October 20, 2012 1:09 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It’s been three months since BC’s children’s watchdog warned that immediate steps had to be taken to address deep flaws in a new computer system used by this province’s child protection workers.
But stress levels among workers are increasing, not decreasing.
Back in July Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said vulnerable families are at risk, because the system is too cumbersome for social workers to use.
Paul Houle, with the BCGEU Local 603 which represents workers, says since July there has been a lot of training and tinkering with the system, but the major faults remain.
He says workers who need quick access to information before stepping into potentially violent situations are not just getting it.
He fears the $182-million Integrated Case Management system has been a very costly failure. “I think the potential risks are still too high. I think eventually the ministry may have to do as many repairs as possible then look eventually at a redesign. The result of that will be an awful loss of money,” he surmises.
“It has to be a simple system because social workers are out all day interviewing families. The most important thing for us is to be talking to kids and talking to parents, not spending hours clicking on a computer. We’re not bank tellers.”
He gives an example of the most recent embarrassment: the computer system, which was originally designed for Homeland Security in the States, printed ministry documents with a banner reading Homeland Security.
Houle points out Ontario is phasing out the very same system in favour of a simpler one.
