wexwimpy
December 1st 04, 05:01 PM
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-locsystem01120104dec01,1,981797.story?
coll=orl-news-headlines
DCF head focuses on computer woes
Reforms are under way, the agency's interim chief tells a Senate
panel.
By Mark Hollis
Tallahassee Bureau
December 1, 2004
TALLAHASSEE -- The interim head of Florida's Department of Children &
Families on Tuesday promised legislators she would work
hard to fix the agency's flawed $180 million social-services computer
network.
Luci Hadi appeared before the Senate's DCF oversight panel to outline
reforms under way at the department in the wake of the
September departure of DCF Secretary Jerry Regier.
Hadi told the panel that several crucial defects with the HomeSafenet
system will be mended within weeks.
HomeSafenet was originally intended to eliminate paper files and give
social workers instant access to key information. Millions of
dollars over budget and more than seven years behind schedule, the
program still cannot function as DCF first envisioned. It is so
difficult to use that private agencies that manage foster-care
programs across the state developed their own system to bypass
HomeSafenet.
Hadi said one of her priorities since taking charge at DCF has been to
resolve a problem with HomeSafenet that has for months
prevented caseworkers from getting a complete history of a child or
family's background without also having to dig into DCF
archives.
Hadi said experienced caseworkers at DCF now know to check archives
before making decisions about a child's well-being. She
acknowledged that the system's shortcomings may not be known to newer
workers, stirring worries for her that an investigator won't
see the information they need to decide whether to remove a child from
a home to avoid abuse or neglect.
"We have got to fix that," Hadi said. "The good news is that it can be
done. . . . That will be a high priority."
Later, responding to a reporter's question, Hadi downplayed the flaw,
saying that it was caught in the testing phase of the system and
said she is not aware of it contributing to any bad outcome affecting
a child's safety.
State Sen. Nan Rich, a Weston Democrat, and other lawmakers on the
Senate DCF committee said they are still bothered that it has
taken months to get the problem resolved. Rich called the problem a
"major child-safety risk."
Rich also noted that the Broward Sheriff's Office, which conducts
child-protective investigations, has already told DCF officials that
their investigators are having to spend extensive time researching a
child's and family's history.
That information was more easily accessible before HomeSafenet was
deployed, she said.
Defend your civil liberties! Get information at http://www.aclu.org, become a member at http://www.aclu.org/join and get active at http://www.aclu.org/action.
coll=orl-news-headlines
DCF head focuses on computer woes
Reforms are under way, the agency's interim chief tells a Senate
panel.
By Mark Hollis
Tallahassee Bureau
December 1, 2004
TALLAHASSEE -- The interim head of Florida's Department of Children &
Families on Tuesday promised legislators she would work
hard to fix the agency's flawed $180 million social-services computer
network.
Luci Hadi appeared before the Senate's DCF oversight panel to outline
reforms under way at the department in the wake of the
September departure of DCF Secretary Jerry Regier.
Hadi told the panel that several crucial defects with the HomeSafenet
system will be mended within weeks.
HomeSafenet was originally intended to eliminate paper files and give
social workers instant access to key information. Millions of
dollars over budget and more than seven years behind schedule, the
program still cannot function as DCF first envisioned. It is so
difficult to use that private agencies that manage foster-care
programs across the state developed their own system to bypass
HomeSafenet.
Hadi said one of her priorities since taking charge at DCF has been to
resolve a problem with HomeSafenet that has for months
prevented caseworkers from getting a complete history of a child or
family's background without also having to dig into DCF
archives.
Hadi said experienced caseworkers at DCF now know to check archives
before making decisions about a child's well-being. She
acknowledged that the system's shortcomings may not be known to newer
workers, stirring worries for her that an investigator won't
see the information they need to decide whether to remove a child from
a home to avoid abuse or neglect.
"We have got to fix that," Hadi said. "The good news is that it can be
done. . . . That will be a high priority."
Later, responding to a reporter's question, Hadi downplayed the flaw,
saying that it was caught in the testing phase of the system and
said she is not aware of it contributing to any bad outcome affecting
a child's safety.
State Sen. Nan Rich, a Weston Democrat, and other lawmakers on the
Senate DCF committee said they are still bothered that it has
taken months to get the problem resolved. Rich called the problem a
"major child-safety risk."
Rich also noted that the Broward Sheriff's Office, which conducts
child-protective investigations, has already told DCF officials that
their investigators are having to spend extensive time researching a
child's and family's history.
That information was more easily accessible before HomeSafenet was
deployed, she said.
Defend your civil liberties! Get information at http://www.aclu.org, become a member at http://www.aclu.org/join and get active at http://www.aclu.org/action.