CAFCASS
that , I ' d like to think , and I certainly say , that what we ' ve got is probably one of the best case management systems around now .
“ We did a phased implementation while everybody was working almost entirely remotely , and it was a remarkable success . It could have gone either way , I think . But we were confident in the project and training teams , and people really engaged with that .”
Enabled by SaaS solutions , the transition to the new CMS , called ChildFirst , has benefitted from remarkably positive feedback since its implementation .
“ We were coming from a place where people really liked the old case management system , the so-called electronic case management system ,” comments Langley . “ They liked it and they felt it did what they needed it to do . But when we started bringing the stories about what was going to be , everybody engaged with that .”
“ I think we did six phases over about 13 months - we started in June 2020 . So we were deep into lockdown territory . And
“ We are dealing with about 11 % more children than pre-pandemic at the moment . So that ' s about 6,500 additional children ”
ROBERT LANGLEY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER , CAFCASS after that final drop , we asked people what they thought of their new , shiny browserdelivered , single sign-on system . And we were slightly taken aback because we got a 90 % overall satisfaction rating from people . And they told us it was a real improvement on the previous system , which in my experience is a rare and special thing in any technology project to get that level of feedback ,” he explains . “ It probably feels like quite a high-risk thing to do , but I think we got it right .”
Partners enabling success As with any organisation , Cafcass utilises a network of partners to help the organisation deliver its goals . One such partner is Jigsaw24 , a relatively recent addition to the ecosystem .
“ When we needed to upgrade our smartphones , Jigsaw24 came to us with a great proposal ,” Langley explains . “ Beyond the basic just device as a service , it fitted well with a remote working model , and fits into the core service that Littlefish provides in the desktop support service .
“ One of the things I ' d say about our work with all of our partners at Cafcass is that we all know that it ' s hard work to deliver good services to people ,” Langley adds . “ It involves a bit of back and forth and all those kinds of difficult discussions from time to time . But the critical thing is that it ' s a united front to the organisation and to the staff who are receiving the service . As we ’ re getting 95 % plus satisfaction with the service desk , and a declining number of incidents per person , I ’ d say that suggests it ’ s working .”
Maintaining outstanding service in challenging times The near future has the potential to be a very challenging time , amid ongoing economic challenges .
364 January 2023