Queensland's Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian has launched a new community visitor information system (CVIS), considered to be at the cutting edge of information management in child protection.
Consulting services for the project –which Microsoft and Data 3 created - was provided by the Australian Technology Centre, with a joint $9 million investment between Microsoft and the Queensland government.
Acting Commissioner Barry Salmon said that for the first time, the commission will be able to visit Queensland children in foster care, ensuring they receive the support and entitlements they have a right to.
“The Community Visitors have spent the past week undergoing training to prepare them for their new roles, including learning how to use an innovative new information management system designed specifically for them,” Salmon said.
“The CVIS has been tailored for the program to ensure information about vulnerable children is timely, accurate and secure.” Salmon said that, without the new system, the commission would have been overwhelmed with the volume of information coming in from the new Community Visitors.
“This new system is pivotal in making the program operate smoothly and efficiently, by streamlining the way in which reports on children are sent and stored,” Salmon said.
Response times to children’s issues will be faster and there will be a greater capacity to share information with other key stakeholders, such as the Department of Child Safety and non-government service providers, he said.
Data 3 chief executive officer John Grant said building the CVIS system has been one of the most exciting application projects in recent times for the company.
“To build a prototype solution of this complexity within three months was a substantial challenge for the team,” Grant said.
Microsoft Australia director public sector Kevin Ackhurst agrees, saying Microsoft shared the commission’s goal to develop a cutting edge system that would meet project goals within time and budget.
“Our partnership enables the delivery of a superior service to Queenslanders and demonstrates how public and private sector partnerships can be effective. We provided the additional skills and investment to achieve a quick and successful turn around,” Ackhurst said.