Client’s Temporal Trajectory in Child Protection: Piecing Information Together in a Client Information System

Abstract

Abstract. Our study focuses on the information needed for overviews by social workers in child protection, and how information is presented in client information systems (CIS). Data consists of semi-structured interviews and social workers' observations while they used CIS in their daily work. The analysis was structured by the concept of temporal trajectory. We identified three major interconnected information strands: concern, child's private life and institutional actions. Their temporal lengths and aspects are disparate. CIS offers modest temporal overviews of clients' cases. Representing information strands as timelines on the interface would provide better overviews.

“I Did It My Way”: Social workers as secondary designers of a client information system

“…They expected that CIS would offer support in gaining an overall picture of a single case (see also Huuskonen & Vakkari, 2011) and controlling their clientele. The social work managers, instead, used CIS less frequently, because their work tasks rarely required recording.…”

“…The joint view of the varied documents and direct moves between them would guarantee a decent chronology, and would substitute the current use of manual links. The social workers needed summarized and time-wise overviews, for which visual diagrams were proposed by a social worker (see also Huuskonen & Vakkari, 2011). Integration of ''work done module'' into a case report was directly suggested: the beginning of an entry could collect procedural information in structural form and thereafter the entry could continue as a free text.…”

“…various forms to produce, communicate and consume information (Hovorka & Germonprez, 2011). In social work, it is vital that CIS offers appropriate tools to chronicle a client case and to present it comprehensively (Huuskonen & Vakkari, 2011).…”

The Impact of Information System on Interactions of Child Welfare Professionals with Managers and Clients

“…Despite existing evidence that access to reliable internet connection and digital databases should guarantee flawless processes of data collection, management and dissemination [40], most of researchers mentioned quite a few reasons why IS happen to be time-consuming.…”

“…These shortcomings of information may lead to issues of trust in IS [42]. Thirdly, data collection by hand-written reports [17] and search for information about client in IS [40] also may lead to additional time consumption. When frontline practitioners are assigned with the task of entering data into IS or other administrative responsibilities, they are distracted from their direct face-to-face work with the clients and their direct involvement in provision of services [43].…”