Digital Strategy
For the Children’s Hearings System
Enabling better informed decisions about children and young people
2
Introduction 3
Context 4
Scope 5
Vision 7
Objectives:
VoiceoftheChild 10 DigitalSkill 12 DigitalTechnologies 14 SharingInformation 16
Principles 18
Makingithappen 20
Moreinformation 22
CONTENTS
PublicservicereformisdrivingchangewithintheChildren’sHearingsSystemwiththetraditionalwaysofdoingthingsevolvingintodigitaltechnologiesandconsiderationisbeinggiventohownewwaysofworkingmightbedevelopedwiththeincreasingavailabilityanddevelopmentofdigitaltechnologies.Increasinglythereisanexpectationthatalternativestotraditionaldeliverymethodswillbeavailablethroughonlineaccessandthatmanagementinformationwillbeshared.Children,youngpeopleandtheirfamiliescanaccessinformation24/7throughnotonlycomputersandlaptops,butnowthroughmobilephones,gameconsolesandtelevisions.TheChildren’sHearingsSystemsneedstoembracedigitaltechnologybytransforminghowwethink,howweengageandhowweinteractwithserviceusersandpartners.
DigitaltechnologycanbeusedtocollaborateandshareservicesandinformationsecurelythatimproveoutcomesforchildrenandyoungpeopleinScotland,improveperformance,improveproductivityandcreateefficiencies.Partnershipworkingiskeytoensuringthattherightinformationisdeliveredtotherightpeopleattherighttimetoreducetheamountoftimechildren,youngpeopleandfamiliesspendbeingprocessedbythesystem.
TheChildren’sHearingsSystemhasapproximately3,000volunteerswhoarecriticaltoensuringthatchildrenandyoungpeopleinScotlandareprovidedwithhelpandsupport.Thenumberofcasesreachingthesevolunteersisanticipatedtoincreaseinfutureyearswithcasesbecomingincreasinglycomplex.ExpectationsplacedonvolunteersandtheChildren’sHearingsSystemasawholearerisingwithregardstheuseofdigitaltechnologieswithinChildren’sHearings.
TheChildren’sHearingsSystemDigitalStrategyfocusesonchildrenandyoungpeopleandgettingitrightforeverychild(GIRFEC).Allagenciesintouchwithchildrenandyoungpeoplemustplaytheirpartinmakingsurethatyoungpeoplearehealthy,achieving,nurtured,active,respected,responsible,includedand,aboveall,safe.Continuousimprovement,makingqualitydecisionsthatareproportionateandensuringthatallstaff,partnersandvolunteersarevalued,supportedandtrainedarekeyelementstosuccess.
Thedigitalstrategyfocusesonhowkeyprojectswillimprovetheservicetochildren,youngpeopleandfamiliesandincreaseparticipationthroughtheuseofdigitaltechnology.ThetimetakentojourneythroughtheChildren’sHearingsSystemwillbereducedandbetteroutcomeswillbeachievedbyimprovingtheinformationflowthroughthesystem.Accesstoonlinetrainingwillleadtobetterdecisionmaking.ImprovementswillbemadetoinformationgovernancetobringbetterefficiencythroughdigitalHearingsandtoreduceriskbystrengtheninginformationsecurity.
INTRODUCTION
33
TheChildren’sHearingsDigitalStrategyhasbeencreatedtoalignwiththeJustice Digital Strategy in ScotlandwhichinturnsupportstheScottish Government Public Service Reform. TheChildren’sHearingsSystemDigitalStrategywillsupportScotland’s Digital FutureandwillworktogetherwithpartnersacrossothersectorstoimproveoutcomesforchildrenandyoungpeopleinScotland.
PublicbodiesinScotlandarecollaboratingtoensurethatservicesarejoineduptomeettheneedsofserviceusersinScotland.BothChildren’sHearingsScotland(CHS)andtheScottishChildren’sReporterAdministration(SCRA)arecommittedtocollaboratingwitheachothertoimprovethechildren’shearingssystem.TheChildren’sHearingsImprovementPartnershipmulti-agencygroup(CHIP)iscommittedtodeliveringbetteroutcomesforchildrenacrosstheChildren’sHearingsSystemandwillprovideachanneltoengagepartnerstoadoptadigitalfirstapproach.
TheJusticeDigitalStrategyinScotlandwillusedigitaltechnologywherepossibletobroadenaccesstojustice,improvequalityofserviceandsafeguardtherightsofcitizensanduser.SCRAhasaroletoplayindeliveringtheoutcomesoftheprogrammewhichisunderpinnedbynationalpolicyandnationalsolutions.JusticeprojectswilldirectlysupporttheChildren’sHearingsSystemandasconnectedsystemsdevelopprovidethecapabilitytosharemoreinformation;provideonlinehelpandsupporttostakeholdersandbetterinformdecisionmaking.
CHSandSCRAwillensurethatcorporateplansarealignedwithnotonlyeachother,butalsowithpartnersinordertoachievebetteroutcomesandidentifyopportunitiestodevelopnewsolutionsthatwillallowustotransformtheChildrenHearingsSystem.
CONTEXT
4
ChangeswithinthebroadertechnologicalworldhavecreatedanexpectationthatdigitaltechnologieswillbeavailablewithintheChildren’sHearingsSystem.Usershaveanexpectationthattheywillbeabletoaccessinformationonline,thatonlineusersupportwillbeprovidedandthatquerieswillberespondedtowithinamatterofminutes.
Personalisationoftheonlineexperienceisdrivingorganisationstobetterunderstandtheirwebsiteuserswithdataanalyticsconsideredtobeofmorevaluethaneverbefore.Thereisanincreasedawarenessthatalternativeinformationdeliverymechanismsshouldbeavailablewithtraditionalcommunicationchannelsseenasslowandinhibiting.
Technologyhasbecomeanintegralpartofeverydaylifewithaccesstoservicesavailablethroughamultitudeofdifferentdevices,applicationsandplatforms.
Childrenandyoungpeopledonotseebarrierstousingtechnologyandcanspendhoursusingtechnologytonotonlyspeaktooneanother,buttoshareideasandexperiences.Tabletdevices,mobilephones,laptopsandPCsareincreasinglyusedtoreplacetraditionalmethodsofcommunicationwithemail,videocallandinstantmessagingallavailableonthemove.
OverallperceptionsoftheChildren’sHearingsSystemfromchildren,youngpeopleandpartnersarethatmodernisationisrequired.ThereisalsoageneralappetiteforchangefrompartnerswhoareabletoidentifyhowtechnologycouldbenefittheChildren’sHearingsSystem.
Indefiningthescopeofourdigitalstrategyitisimportanttorecognisethatthefocuswillbeonuserandbusinessneed,asopposedtotechnology.TheScottishGovernmentDigitalStrategyhighlightsthatservicesneedtobere-designedtomeetuserneedsandtheChildren’sHearingsDigitalStrategyplacesthechildatthecentreofeverythingwedo.Wewillprovideamuchbetteruserexperienceforchildrenandyoungpeoplethroughtheuseofdigitalengagement.
ThewaythattheChildren’sHearingsSystemworks,theoperationalprocessesandproceduresthatarefollowed,willbere-designedtobeleanerandmoreefficient.
SCOPE
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OurChildren’sHearingsDigitalStrategyisabouttransformingtheservicebygatheringintelligencefromourusers,partnersanddatatoensurethatbusinessbenefitsareachieved.Digitaltechnologywillsupportthesechangesbutitisnotaboutdoingitdigitallybecausewecan.Itisaboutbeinginformedastohowwecanusetechnologytosupporttheprocesstoachieveourstrategicaims.
TheChildren’sHearingsSystemDigitalStrategyhasbeendevelopedbyconsultingwithchildren,youngpeopleandpartners,alongwiththestaffandvolunteerswhosupportthesystem.Everythingthatiscontainedwithinthestrategycamefromtheinitialconsultationexercise.
IndeliveringthedigitalstrategywewillneedtoensurethatthepeoplewhoarethekeystakeholdersintheChildren’sHearingsSystem–thevolunteers,staff,partnersandthepublic–continuetobeconsulted.
Anunderstandingofhowchildren,youngpeopleandfamiliesjourneyacrosstheHearingsSystemwillbedevelopedwithlifeeventsmappedintotheserviceredesigntoensurethatcontentisdevelopedasajoinedupjourney.Serviceswillbedrivenbytheneedsofserviceusers.
Serviceinteractionwillbebuiltfromknowledgegainedaspartofpilotexerciseswhichwillbeevaluatedbasedonconsultationwithusersontheirviewsandexperiencesoftheirparticipationthroughdigitalmeans.Theresultsofsuchconsultationwilldrivethedirectionofthestrategytoensureprioritiesarefocusedontheneedsofchildrenandyoungpeople.
Thevariousorganisation’sbusinessstrategiesfocusontheoutcomestheywilldeliver.TheChildren’sHearingsSystemDigitalStrategywillfocusonhowkeyprojectswillimprovetheservicetochildren,youngpeopleandfamilies,reducecosts,improveinformationgovernance,improvesecurityandimprovethetimescalestakentojourneythroughthesystem–allleadingtobetteroutcomesforchildrenandyoungpeople.
SCOPE contd
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The vision istocreateachildcentredhearingsystem,staffedwithdigitallycapablevolunteersandemployees,whoconfidentlyutilisedigitaltechnologiestoimproveoutcomesforchildrenandyoungpeopleinScotland.
TheChildren’sHearingsDigitalStrategyhas4coreobjectivesandpriorities:
Voice of the Child–Childrenandyoungpeoplewillhavechoicesabouthowtheyengagewiththehearingprocessanddigitaltechnologywillprovidethemwithvariouschannelstocommunicatetheirviews.Ensuringthatthevoiceofthechildisheardwithinthesystemisofvitalimportance.ExtendingtheuseoftechnologywithintheChildren’sHearingsSystemwillnotonlymeettheexpectationsofchildrenandyoungpeoplebutwillalsoengagethemwiththetoolsthattheyincreasinglyuseaspartofeverydaylife.
Providingchildrenandyoungpeoplewithelectronictoolsthatgatherstheirviewscanhelptoincreasetheirparticipationwithinthehearingsystem.Traditionalthinkingsaysthatparticipationcanonlybeachievedthroughfacetofaceinteractionhoweverresearchisbeginningtoemerge(BPS,2015)thatitmaybelesstraumaticforsomechildrenandyoungpeopletoengagewiththeprocessthroughelectronicmethods.
VISION
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VISION
TheHearingsettingcanbeveryintimidatingforchildrenandyoungpeopleandifwecangathertheirviewsthroughlesstraditionalchannelsthiswouldassistwithhavingtheiropinionsheard.Decisionstakenaffecttheirlivesanditisvitalthattheirviewsarerepresentedinthedecisionmakingprocess.
Digital Skills–DigitaltechnologyhasbeenidentifiedasanenablertoimprovetheChildren’sHearingsSystembyincreasingparticipation,reducingriskandimprovingefficiency.StaffandvolunteerswithintheHearingsSystemwillbedigitallyenabledandconfidentthattheycanusetechnologyasasupportwithintheirrole.Traditionalmethodswillstillbethereforthosethatneeditandweshouldn’tbeproposingtoremovethose.
EveryonewithinthesystemwillneedtobesupportedinordertoachievetheexpectedbenefitstechnologycanbringandtheScottishGovernmentDigitalInclusionProjecthasbeendevelopedtoassistwithprovidingaccesstodigital.TouchdownspotsinbuildingswithfreeWi-Fiaccess,freedigitalskillsworkshopsandfreeonlinedevelopmentpackageswillensurethatthereiscomfortwiththetechnologiesinuse.Nooneshouldbeexcludedthroughalackofaccesstotheinternetordigitalskills.
Digital Technologies–ThedigitaltechnologyinusewithintheHearingwillbefocusedontheneedsofchildren,youngpeople,families,PanelMembers,Reportersandpartners.Thetechnologywithinthebusinesswillbeabletoadapteasilytosuitchangingrequirements.Technologywillbeusedtoimprovetheefficiencyofcommunicationwithpartnersandimprovetheserviceforchildren,youngpeopleandfamilies.
Digitaltechnologiesarepartofeverydaylifeandweneedtoensurethatwhenwere-designprocessesweconsidertheuseoftechnology.Technologyisanenablernotadriver.Weneedtodesigntheprocessandgetthetechnologytomeetitratherthantheotherwayabout.Itisnotaboutusingtechnologybecausewecanbutusingitbecauseitmakeslifeeasier.
Technologywillbringefficienciestothesystemandsavingswillbemadeintermsoftimeandcosthowevertherealbenefitwillbefoundintheimprovementtotheserviceweprovidetochildrenandyoungpeople.
Sharing Information –InformationisattheheartofalldecisionmakingwithintheHearingsSystemandbyimprovingthequalityandappropriatenessoftheinformationwithinthesystemwecanimprovethequalityofdecisionsthataremade.Gettingtherightinformationintothesystemthatgoestotherightpeopleattherighttimewillleadtobetterdecisionmaking.
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SCOPE
Havingthemostuptodateinformationwillbringalsobenefitsintermsoftime.Itislikelythatcaseswillprogressatafasterpaceasimprovedcommunicationwillreducethetimetakentomakeinformedandappropriatedecisions.
Reducinganxiety,reducingstigma,improvingthetimetojourneythroughthesystemandimprovingthedecisionmakingprocesswillimprovetheserviceforeverychildandyoungpersonwhoenterstheChildren’sHearingsSystem.
ThefollowingdiagramsummarisessomeoftheideasandthinkingontheChildren’sHearingsDigitalStrategy.
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OBJECTIVES
Childrenandyoungpeopleusetechnologyaspartofeverydaylifeandmanyeducationestablishmentsprovidetechnologywithintheclassroomwithhomeworkallocatedtobeconductedonline.
ThereisagrowingexpectationthattechnologywillbeusedwithintheChildren’sHearingsSystem.
ChildrenandyoungpeopleareatthecentreoftheChildren’sHearingsSystemandwewillensurethattheuseofdigitaltechnologieswillsupporttheincreasedparticipationofchildrenandyoungpeoplewithintheHearingsSystem.
Weneedtoensurethatthevoiceofthechildisencouragedandheardatallstagesthroughoutthesystem,bothfromtheperspectiveofbetterinformingthedecisionsaboutachildandfromlearningfromtheirexperiencewithinthesystemtoallowustoimprovehowwedothings.
InterviewsinvolvingchildrenandyoungpeoplewhohaveexperiencedtraumaticeventsarevideoedwithinScotlandinaninformalsettingandproducedatalaterdateasevidenceinproceedings.Theprocessisundertakentoaveryhighstandardwiththefocusonminimisingthetraumaonthechild.
Ensuringwemaintainasinformalanatmosphereaspossibleisvitaltoallowthevoiceofthechildtobeheard.ChildrencanbeveryintimidatedbyHearingsettingsandarenotconfidentthattheycanexpresstheiropinion.ThePanelMemberscanconsistofpeoplewhotheyarelikelytohavenevermetbeforeandtheHearingenvironmentcanfeelveryformal.
OFCOM data shows that
70% of children (5-15)
have access to a tablet
at home with 34% of
children (5-15) owning
their own tablet.
In the financial year 2013/14
there were 19,077 children
referred to the Children’s
Hearings System. There
were 38,200 hearings, 6,801
pre-hearing panels and
at the end of 2014 there
were 11,420 children on
Compulsory Supervision
Orders.
VOICE OFTHE CHILD
INCREASE THE PARTICIPATION OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WITHIN THE SYSTEM
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OBJECTIVES
InordertoencouragemoreparticipationofchildrenandyoungpeoplewithintheChildren’sHearingsSystem,thefollowingsolutionswillbeconsidered:
YoungPeople’sBoard–ThecreationofaYoungPeople’sBoardwouldprovidechildrenandyoungpeoplewithexperienceoftheHearingsSystemtheopportunitytohaveadecisionmakingandscrutinisingroleinthecontinuousimprovementanddevelopmentoftheHearingsSystem,usingtheirdirectexperience,knowledgeandperspective.
Pre-HearingOnlineIntroduction–Asingle,simplifiedonlinepresencetorepresenttheChildren’sHearingsSystemasawholewillenablegreaterclarityforchildrenandyoungpeopleabouttheprocess.OnlinefacilitiessuchaschatwithaReporter,getavirtualtouroftheHearingssuiteorviewyourPanelMemberbiographycouldbemadeavailable.
VideoStatements–ItispossiblethatchildrenwillfeelmoreabletoparticipatewithintheHearingiftheycangiveinformationintheformofavideostatementpriortothehearing.Thiscouldincludetherecordingofan“AllAboutMe”typemessage.
VideoConferencing–ChildrencouldattendtheHearingthroughvideotechnologyforcaseswheretravellingislikelytocausestressoranxiety.TraditionalvideoconferencingunitscanbeveryintimidatingforchildrenandalternativesareavailablethroughsoftwaredeploymenttotabletdevicesthatwouldmimicservicesprovidedbyFacetimeorSkypeinasecuremanner.
Digital“AllaboutMe”–Anonlineversionofthe“AllaboutMe”formcouldbemadeavailableonasecurewebsite.ThiswouldprovideanalternativemethodofcommunicatingwithSCRAinamannerthatmanychildrenarenowfamiliarwith.
DigitalWaitingRoom-TechnologycouldbeprovidedwithinthewaitingroomstorelaxchildrenandyoungpeoplebeforeenteringtheHearing.AttendingaHearingcanbeastressfuleventandtechnologycouldbeusedtokeeptheminformedofrelevantinformationandprovideafocustokeepthemoccupied.
ManyofthechildrenandyoungpeoplemaywishtoaccessinformationonlinewiththeirowndevicesandpublicWi-FiwithintheHearingsuitecouldbeprovided.
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OBJECTIVES contd
Inordertogainthepotentialbenefitsthatthedigitaltechnologiescandeliver,weneedtoensurethatthepeopleinvolvedinthesystemcanusethetoolseffectively.
AcrossthevolunteersandstaffthatmakeuptheChildren’sHearingsSystem,wemustdevelopdigitalcapabilityandconfidence.Weneedtoensurethatweprovidetheopportunitiesfordevelopmentwhichwillallowtheachievementofadesiredlevelofcapability.
Thefollowingsolutionswillbeconsidered:
E-Learning–E-learningcouldbeadoptedasthepreferredchoiceforlearning,whereitisdeemedappropriate.Partnershaveindicatedthattheywouldwelcomee-learningpackagesthatprovideinformationonspecificareasoftheChildren’sHearingsSystemfornewandexistingstaffmembers.KnowledgeoftheHearingsSystemwithinthegeneralpublicislowande-learningpackagescouldbeprovidedviathewebsitetoraiseawareness.
EncouragingPersonalDevelopment–Inmanycasesthecoreskillstooperatedigitaltechnologieseffectivelyandefficientlyarecurrentlyunderdeveloped.Thereisaneedtoimprovedigitalskillsandimprovetheconfidenceofindividualsintheuseofdigitaltechnologies.Thehistoryoftheuseofdigitaltechnologieswithinthesystemhasnotalwaysbeenapositiveexperienceandthereisanopportunitytoprovidedigitallearningpackagesthatarefocusedondevelopinguserneedsandwants.
SkillsDevelopment–Asaminimum,weneedtoestablishaworkingbaselineofdigitalskills.ThefollowingbasicdigitalskillswillneedtobedevelopedinallthosethatwillberequiredtousetechnologywithintheHearingSystem.
DIGITAL SKILLS
ENHANCE THE CAPABILITY, CAPACITY AND CONFIDENCE OF STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS
Scottish Government figures show
that the percentage of adults using the
internet for personal use in Scotland
has increased from 63% in 2007 to 80%
in 2013. The largest increases are in the
older age groups.
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EnhancedSkills–Itisanticipatedthatwiththerapidchangesintechnology,thattherewillbeaneedtocontinuouslyimprovetheskilllevels.ThereisashortageoftechnologicallyskilledworkerswithinthePublicSectorandwecouldencouragethedevelopmentofatechnicalgroupacrosspartnerswhowouldsharetheirdigitalskills.ThiswouldbenefittheChildren’sHearingsSystembyreducingtherequirementtoengageconsultantsfortechnologicalprojects.
DigitalChampions–TheScottishGovernmentDigitalChampionsDevelopmentProgrammehasbeencreatedtoinspireleadersaboutthetransformationalpotentialofdigitaltoolsandtechnologyandtogivethemtheconfidencetotakeactiontoreleasethatpotential.TheChildren’sHearingsSystemwouldbenefitgreatlyfrominvolvementinthisprogrammetodrivethesectorwideorganisationalchangeweareseekingtoachieve.Withthehighlevelofcollaborationplannedfrompartners,strategicleadersneedtoensuretheyaredrivingthedigitalagendatoimprovetheoutcomesforchildrenandyoungpeople.
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OBJECTIVES contd
Digitaltechnologiesprovidethefacilityforpeopletoworkinmoreeffective,efficientandagilemanners.TechnologyhasbecomepartofeverydaylifeandwillbeusedtosupporttheHearingsSystem.
PartnershaveaccesstotechnologytoengagewiththeHearingsSystemandthiscouldbeextendedtothefollowingexamplesofuse:
ElectronicCourt–Inattendingcourt,accesstoinformationisvitaltoallconcerned.FromtheChildren’sReporter’sperspective,havingfast,easyaccesstoanumberofsourcesofinformationiskeytobeingabletoprovideanexcellentservice.
Havingamobiledevicewithcurrentcasedetailsavailable,alongwithaccesstopracticeandpolicyinformationwouldbeextremelyusefulandwouldmatchthetoolsusedbyotherpartners.
SecureElectronicTransmissionHearingspapersarecurrentlysenttoPanelMembers,children,youngpeopleandfamiliesinpaperformat.SendingHearinginformationelectronicallytoPanelMemberswouldhavesignificantbenefitsintermsoftime.
ThereiscurrentlyadelayofseveraldaysforPanelMemberstoreceiveHearingpapersthroughthepostalsystem.Ifsentelectronically,PanelMemberswouldhavemoretimewiththeinformationtoallowthemtopreparefortheHearing.Furthermore,thesecureelectronictransmissionofHearinginformationpackswouldreducetheriskofunintentionaldatabreaches.
The Global Stats Counter
for 2014 shows that over
a 12 month period the
use of mobile devices
to access the internet
increased by 67%. The
most popular means to
access the internet is the
desktop.
The BBC found that 69% of Primary
and Secondary schools in the UK use
tablet computers as a learning tool.
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
USE TECHNOLOGY TO FACILITATE A MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE SYSTEM
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SecureDataExchangePortal–Toimprovethelevelofdigitalcommunicationwithpartners,asecureportalcouldbecreatedthatwouldfacilitatethesecureuploadingandretrievalofappropriatecaseinformation.
Informationcouldbestoredonthesecureportalwithaccessprovidedasappropriateonaviewonlybasis.Thiswouldensuretheinformationassetownerretainedcontroloftheirinformationandduplicateinformationwasnotstoredinmultiplelocations.
Authentication–Inordertoshareinformationsecurelyandefficiently,itisessentialtohaverobustandsecureauthenticationmechanismsinplace.Weneedtoensurethatonlythepeople,whoshouldhaveaccesstoinformation,dohaveaccesstotheinformation.
The“myaccount”couldbeusedastheauthenticationmethod.
VideoConference–Partners,particularlythosewithinEducationandHealth,couldattendtheChildren’sHearingthroughtheuseofvideoconferencingtechnology.Teachersandhealthprofessionalswhoattendahearingcanfindthatthistakesupasignificantpartoftheirdayandcoverhastobearrangedforthem.
HavingtheabilitytoattendtheHearingbyvideoconferencehasbeenidentifiedasanareaofinterestandhasbeenrepresentedbyteachers.
TrackMyCase–Theabilitytoretrieveinformationonchildrenandyoungpeople’scasescouldbemadeavailableonline.Thiswouldallowchildren,youngpeopleandfamiliestocheckontheprogressoftheircase.Thisfacilitycouldalsobeextendedtowitnesseswhoarerequiredtoattendcourttogiveevidence.
TextService–PanelMembers,shouldtheychoosetobepartofthetextservice,couldreceiveupdatesaboutHearingsasandwhensentbySCRA.Textcouldalsobeusedasanothercommunicationtoolforbusinesscontinuitypurposesoronlineaccessvalidations.
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OBJECTIVES contd
SHARING INFORMATION
GET THE RIGHT INFORMATION TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE, AT THE RIGHT TIME
ThroughouttheChildren’sHearingsSystemdecisionsaremadeinthebestinterestsofchildrenandyoungpeople.Inordertomakethebestpossibledecisionsatthekeydecisionpoints,weneedtoensurethatthebestpossibleinformationisavailabletothoseinvolvedinthedecisionprocess.
Theinformationneedstobeuptodate,accurate,comprehensiveandpresentedinthewayinwhichitismostusefultotherecipientoftheinformation.
Historicallywehaveexperiencedlengthydocumentscontainingagreatdealofinformationbeingpresentedtodecisionmakers,expectingthemtoanalysetheinformationthoroughlyandmakeappropriatedecisionsuponthis.Thishasprovedtobechallengingforallofthoseconcernedandmuchefforthasbeenputintoaddresstheissues.Digitaltechnologyofferspossiblesolutions.
Thefollowingsolutionswillbeconsidered:
UsefulandUsableInformation–Inconsideringthehandlingofinformationusingdigitaltechnologies,wecanmoveforwardinhowwepresentinformation.Nolongerareweconstrainedbypaperdocumentswhicharedifficulttodigest,retrieveandinterpretinformationfrom.Wehavetheopportunitytopresentinformationinawaythatismostmeaningfultotherecipient,structuringtheinformationinawaythatallowsthemtolocateinformationeasilyandquicklythroughhyperlinks,bookmarks,etc.
EqualityofAccess–Itisimportanttoensurethattheinformationweprovidetothosewhohavetherighttoreceiveithaveequalityofaccessandconsistencyofinformation.Thecontentofanydigitalinformationprovidedshouldmatchinformationprovidedinpaperformatbutweneedtoimprovethewaythatpeoplecanaccessrelevantappropriateinformation.
In the financial year
2013/2014 there were
32,316 referrals made to
the Children’s Reporter.
24,178 referrals came
from the Police, 6,389
came from Social
Work and 1,316 from
Education.
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StandardisedDataSharing–EstablishingnationalstandardsfortheexchangeofinformationwithintheChildren’sHearingsSystemwouldassistgreatlyinimprovingtheeffectivenessandefficiencyofthepartnerorganisations.Inordertoachievethisweneedtoworkwithpartnerorganisationstomoveawayfromthewritingoftraditionaldocuments,embracethemovementtotheChild’sPlanthroughGIRFEC(scheduledtocomeintolawinAugust2016)andlookathowwecanshareinformationmoreeffectivelyacrossthesystemusingstandardisedinformationformats.
InordertoachievethetruebenefitsthatdigitaltechnologiescanbringtotheChildren’sHearingsSystem,weshouldmovetosystemtosystemcommunicationofsignificanteventssuchasreferralandhearingoutcomes.Agreeddatastandardswouldallowsystemstocommunicatewitheachotherandautopopulateappropriatefieldsthatarecurrentlycompletedmanually.
HearingInformationPacks–Inaddition,byensuringthatweachievebetterinformationtheHearinginformationpackswillbemoreusefulandusablefordecisionmaking.PanelMemberswillbasetheirdecisionsonthemostuptodatedevelopmentsavailable.
HolisticView–TheNamedPersonrolehascreatedaneedtobeabletoviewinformationrelatingtothechildoryoungpersonwiththemostuptodatedevelopmentsavailable.AcentralsharingpointisrequiredthatallagenciescanfeedintothatwillallowtheNamedPersonaccesstoinformationincludingthechild’splan.SignpostingofInformationandServices–TheChildren’sHearingsSystemmustbepresentedonlineinawaythatprovidesclearandsimpleadviceandguidancetoanyoneinterestedinthesystem.Thisinvolveschildrenandyoungpeoplewhomaybelookingforhelp,adviceandadvocacyservices.Itdoesnotmattertothemwhichorganisationprovidestheinformationorservice.Simplyhowdotheygettheinformationandhelpthattheyneedtoensuretheirviewisgatheredandheard.
ManagementInformation–Keytothecontinuousimprovementofthesystemistheproductionofgoodqualitymanagementinformationsharedappropriatelyacrosspartners.ManagementinformationisbespoketoeachorganisationthatinteractswiththeHearingsSystemhoweveraholisticviewofappropriateinformationwherejustifiedwouldprovideamorerealisticandaccurateoverviewoftheHearingsSystemandachildoryoungperson’slifecircumstances.
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OBJECTIVES contd
DataStrategy–SCRAisanofficialstatisticsproviderandaround22datareportsaresenttopartnersonamonthlybasis.ThereisawealthofinformationwithintheHearingsystemandresearchisundertakenwithinspecificareas.Provisionofnon-sensitiveinformationthroughopendataisavailablethroughcorporatewebsites.Informationisnotcollatedacrosspartnerstoidentifytrendsorpatternsandthiscouldbeco-ordinatedthroughashareddatastrategy.
ThefollowingprincipleswilldrivetheuseofdigitaltechnologieswithintheChildren’sHearingsSystem:
Child-CentredThesolutionsappliedwithintheHearingsSystemwillfocusprimarilyonthewantsandneedsofchildrenandyoungpeople.Technologieswillbeusedforimprovingparticipationinthesystemandencouragingthevoiceofthechildtobeheard.Solutionswillbringpeopleclosertogetherandimprovethelevelofmeaningfulinteraction.
UserFocusedDigitaltechnologiesusedwithintheHearingsSystemwillbedevelopedwiththeenduserstoensurethattheyarefitforpurpose.Technologywillbeanenablernotadriverandfocusonuserneeds.Digitalsolutionswillbesimple,easytouseandintuitiveenoughthatuserssucceedfirsttime,unaided.
DigitalInclusionTherewillbeacommitmenttoretaintraditionalmeansofcommunicationandaccesstoservices.Wewillnotseektodisadvantageanyonethatdoesnothaveaccesstotheinternet.
Multi-ChannelChoiceChildren,youngpeopleandfamilieswillhavechoiceonhowtheyinteractandparticipatewiththeHearingsSysteminaconsistentlyappliedmanner.
PRINCIPLES
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PRINCIPLES
Theywillreceiveaconsistentandhighqualityserviceregardlessoftheirchannelofcommunication,includingface-to-face,phone,email,andon-line.Theappropriateassisteddigitalsupportwillbeinplaceandwewillprovidechoicesothatwearenotforcingdigital.
DigitalbyDefaultThedigitalchannelshouldbethefirstchoiceforaccessinginformationwithintheChildren’sHearingsSystem.Asustainablemulti-disciplinaryteamshouldbedevelopedthatfocusesonservicedesign,buildandoperatingtheservice.
SecureTheconfidentiality,integrityandsecurityoftheinformationwithinthehearingssystemwillbemaintainedatalltimes.Personaldatacollectionwillbeappropriatewithsecuritylevelsandlegalresponsibilitiesmet.Riskswillbemitigatedandinformationgovernanceadheredto.
ICTAlignmentTheICTandDigitaltechnologiesusedwillbealignedwiththebusinessvision,objectives,andstrategiesthatwillsupporttheChildren’sHearingsbusiness.Systemswillbeflexibletosupportbusinessneedsorchangingrequirementsofthebusinessorlegislation.TheywillbereadilyabletobeincorporatedintotheICTInfrastructurewiththeminimumofdisruptiontousers.
Cost/BenefitTheICTwillbemanagedtoensureitiscosteffectiveandprovidesvalueformoneywithouttransferringthecosttovolunteers,children,youngpeopleandfamilies.
SelectingtheMostAppropriateTechnologiesThetoolsandsystemsusedtobuild,host,operateandmeasuretheservicewillbeevaluatedtoensuretheyarethemostappropriate.Planswillbecreatedforthephasingoutofanyexistingalternativetoolsorsystems,whereappropriate.
BuildingandProtectingaDigitalFootprintThesystemswillimprovethevalueofinformationheldwithintheHearingsSystemandenablethecreationofadigitalfootprintforeverychildthatenterstheprocess.Itisimportanttoremember,whenconsideringtheuseofdigitaltechnologies,thatareviewofallsystemsusedshouldbeundertakenatleasteverythreeyearstoensurethattheycontinuetomeettheneedsoftheorganisationanddeliverthebestpossibleoutcomes.
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InordertoachievethevisionsetoutintheChildren’sHearingsSystemdigitalstrategy,appropriategovernanceandchangemanagementframeworksmustbeadoptedensuringthataholisticapproachistakentomanagingthechange.
GovernanceandManagementoftheDigitalProgramme–ThedigitalchangeprogrammewillbegovernedthroughaChildren’sHearingsSystemDigitalStrategyBoardthathasrepresentationfromChildren’sHearingsScotland,ScottishGovernmentandScottishChildren’sReporterAdministrationSeniorManagementTeams.ProjectsandinitiativesidentifiedwillbeformallysubmittedforreviewtotheDigitalBoardandaresubjecttoapproval.
Principles,policiesandframeworks–theproperdirectionandinstructionfromthegoverningbodyoftheprogrammeareessentialtoensuringthatitisimplementedeffectivelyacrossandwithinthestakeholderorganisations.Thisincludesbothinternalandexternalcompliancewithpolicies,legislationandbestpractice.TheprogrammewilloperateinaccordancewithScotland’s Digital Future - High Level Operating Framework.
ManagementofChange–Inordertoachievethenecessarychange,itisessentialthatathoroughapproachtochangemanagementisadoptedacrossthestaffandvolunteercommunitieswithintheChildren’sHearingsSystem.Thisneedstobeamulti-prongedapproachwithkeycommunicationmessagestoreassurethosewhofearthechangeandenthusethosethatsupportit.
MAKING IT HAPPEN
The following model of change should be considered:
Understandingtheneedforchangewithinthechanging environment.
CreatingawilltochangeandsharingtheambitionfordigitaltechnologiestosupporttheChildren’sHearingsSystem.
Improvingpeople’sknowledgeofthetechnologiesand digitaltransformation.
Ensurethatpeoplehavetheabilityandconfidencetousethetechnologies.
Sustainingthechange,buildingcultureandcompetence aroundthechange.
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StrategyDelivery–DeliveryofthestrategywillbechallenginghoweveracrosstheChildren’sHearingsSystemthereisstrongsupportfromallpartners.Relationshipshavebeenforgedthatwillbringexpertiseandknowledgefromallstakeholderswithinthesystem.
Programmeandprojectmanagementarrangementswillbefollowedtoensurethattherightexpertiseisappliedwhendeliveringobjectives.Projectsidentifiedinsupportofthestrategywillbeprioritisedfollowingfeedbackfromstakeholders.Consultationwillbeundertakenwithstakeholdersandchildrenandyoungpeoplewhilstrepresentativegroupswillbeformedwithpartnerstoensuretheirviewsarecentraltoallthatwedo.
ThegovernancearrangementswillcreateaChildren’sHearingsSystemdecisionmakingandresourceallocationbody.Aprogrammeofworkwillbedesignedthatidentifiestheownershipandaccountabilityofeachpartnertoensurecommunicationchannelsareopenanddependenciesclearlymapped.
Thefinancingofthestrategydeliverywillcreateopportunitiesforjointlyfundedprojectswithbenefitsrealisationmanagedandreportedagainstkeyoutcomes.Organisationswillaligntheircorporateplanstoensureajointdirectionoftravelandthecommunicationplan,toensurebuy-in,willbefocusedontheHearingsSystemandnotindividualpartners.
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MORE INFORMATION
MoreinformationaboutTheDigitalStrategyfortheChildren’sHearingsSystemwillbeavailableshortly.
Inthemeantimeifyouhaveanyquestions,pleasecontact:
ElliotJackson,DeputeChiefExecutiveOfficer,[email protected]
LornaMcNaughton,ImprovementProjectsOfficer(Digital),[email protected]
YoucanalsovisitChildren’sHearingsScotland’swebsiteandtheScottishChildren’sReporterAdministration’swebsite.