Written answers
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Department of Children and Youth Affairs
Information and Communications Technology
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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686. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the barriers to integrating information technology, IT, systems across social worker regional offices; if she is aware of the fact that there is no integration of referral systems across social service regions due to the lack of integration of IT systems and as a result vital pieces of information that may be detailed regarding a prior case or individual in the files of one social work office, are regularly not known by social worker offices in other regions dealing with the same case or individual; her views that this lack of integration is acceptable; and her plans to reform this unacceptable situation. [19155/16]
Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I acknowledge the need for investment in ICT infrastructure to support both social workers and other staff in their work. The increased capital provision for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency in 2016 included provision for the continued rollout of the National Child Care Information System (NCCIS). NCCIS will operate as the central national database supporting the provision of child welfare and protection services and it is a key priority for Tusla.
Access to the NCCIS system will ensure that every social work department has a user-friendly technology solution to record the case history of every child, who is the subject of a child protection or welfare concern, from the point of initial referral to case closure. The system will also have the capacity to facilitate the integration and sharing of information on child protection and welfare cases between Tusla areas where appropriate. Individuals using the system will be required to have authorised access to ensure access security, data security and client privacy.
The NCCIS has been piloted in Tusla’s Mid-West region (North Tipperary, Clare and Limerick). Tusla intends to roll out the system nationally and for it to become fully operational in all areas between now and the end of 2018.
A high level Steering Group, which is co-chaired by my Department and Tusla has been established to oversee the delivery of the NCCIS project within the required timeframes and budget.
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