Issue - meetings

This report seeks approval to move forward on contract negotiations with Deloitte/Corelogic for a new adult social care IT system, and to extend the current contract with Careworks to provide a full IT system for Children’s Services.

Members considered a report which sought approval to move forward on contract negotiations with Deloitte / Corelogic for a new adult social care IT system, and to extend the current contract with Careworks to provide a full IT system for Children’s Services.

The procurement of a new social care system had been agreed by Members through the IT Development Plan for 2005/06, with updated costing supplied in the IT Plan for 2006/07.  At that time an integrated system for both Children’s and Adults’ services had been envisaged.  However, Children’s Services had since been offered the chance to participate in a national pilot for development of an “Integrated Children’s System”, known as RAISE and provided by Careworks.  That system was now delivering positive results.  Furthermore, Children’s Services were no longer an integral part of Community Services within the Council but now formed part of the new Learning, Culture and Children’s directorate. Two options were therefore presented:

Option 1 – procure an integrated system for Adults’ and Children’s services;

Option 2 – develop separate systems for Adults’ and Children’s services.  This was the recommended option.

A procurement exercise had been carried out in accordance with Prince2 principles.  The result of the evaluation of bids was that Deloitte would be the preferred supplier either of an integrated system, or of an Adults’ system under Option 2.  This option, with Careworks continuing to provide the Children’s system, was recommended because it would require less time and resources, prevent duplication of effort, reduce the need for staff re-training and could be linked to the Youth Offending team system, thus making savings of about £20k.  There would still be a need for communication between the Adults’ and Children’s systems, to ensure continuity.

Additional information, highlighting the benefits for customers and council taxpayers of the proposed replacement systems, was circulated at the meeting.  Members stressed the need for proper and regular monitoring of the system, to ensure that it delivered the expected efficiency savings and achieved success in respect of key customer satisfaction measures as well as customer response times.

Having considered the advice of the Shadow Executive, it was

RESOLVED:             That contract negotiations be pursued with Deloitte, and with Careworks, to purchase separate systems for Adults’ and Children’s services, as outlined in Option 2 in paragraph 30 of the report.

REASONS:                This will reflect the changing agenda for the different customer groups and can be achieved within the overall expected price for both areas of service. It will  ensure that the investment in time, and commitment from children’s services into the pilot system is not lost and that the requirements of both business areas are best met.

It will provide Adult’s and Children’s services with high quality, flexible and dynamic information systems, that will be able to respond to changing statutory requirements at a known cost.