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Counties unhappy with child welfare database

Summit, Stark agencies among those hesitant to join statewide system plagued by problems

By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer

Published on Saturday, Dec 22, 2007

The state should study whether to scrap a new $92 million statewide child-welfare database because it's horribly flawed, some county leaders say.

Sixty-seven counties are now using the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System, a giant state-run database that was supposed to unify all 88 county children services operations and make it easier to keep abused and neglected children safe.

But counties have encountered serious glitches since it became operational last year. Private adoption information was handed out, errors showed up in reports and computer crashes left caseworkers with no access to their children's records.

One county leader called the system ''a pain in the rump.'' Another said it's ''bad technology.''

Recognizing the ongoing problems, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has put a temporary moratorium on adding more counties to the system as technology experts scramble to fix critical errors.

Some of the state's largest counties — Summit, Cuyahoga, Lucas, Hamilton and Stark — have yet to sign on, hesitant to replace their reliable systems.

''At this point, given all the problems, given all the money that's been put into it, I am more and more coming to the conclusion that the state needs to study whether or not they need to scrap it,'' Summit County Children Services Director John Saros said. ''They ought to
be looking at the issue of whether this is repairable or are we just throwing good money after bad?''

The Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System, 10 years in the making, was designed so child-welfare reports and statistics would be uniform throughout Ohio, and to allow instant access to statewide records for busy caseworkers.

Scarlett Bouder, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, said state leaders understand the frustration, but there is no intention to dump the system and start over.

''There are going to be some glitches in any IT system,'' she said. ''And we are working through those on a daily basis. We're trying to create a system that is consistent and that can best serve children across the state of Ohio.''

Crystal Ward Allen, executive director of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, also advocated fixing the system instead of scrapping it, partly because there's no guarantee a more reliable one can be created.

''I don't think we have a whole lot of options here,'' she said. ''I am really dedicated to working with the department and the vendor to try to ensure that the system does become a better functioning system.''

The system developer, Dynamic Research Corp. of Andover, Mass., said it's committed to correcting the problems and referred other questions to the state.

Far-reaching effects

Children and families have also been affected by the computer glitches. One mother waited hours to pick up her child because the system crashed and caseworkers didn't know where the child was. In another case, private adoption information was given to a medical provider.

Meanwhile, child-welfare workers are affected on a daily basis. Local workers, for instance, are unable to fix simple mistakes they make. Instead, paperwork asking for corrections must be sent to the state, and that's forced them to spend more time at the computer than face to face with their charges.

Some counties — including Medina, Portage and Wayne — are so worried about the unreliability of the state system, they're keeping two sets of records.

''It's very frightening to think that you're not going to have good data and you're not going to know where your kids are,'' said Julie Barnes, who oversees children services in Stark County. ''You can't keep track of that stuff on paper.''

Summit and Stark counties were slated to join the system in September and October, but a massive computer crash on Sept. 14 scuttled those plans.

''I'm very pleased that we didn't go live because I think the agency would be in turmoil,'' Saros said.

He and other children services directors not using the system have refused to join the system until the problems are fixed.

''I have made it clear that I will not sign on until they get the bugs worked out of it,'' said Dean Sparks, head of Lucas County Children Services.

Uncertain future

Cuyahoga County Job and Family Services Director James McCafferty said he's not ready to abandon the new system, but he also questions its future.

''Maybe it can't be fixed,'' he said. ''They owe us a system that works correctly and protects kids. If the system is not doing that and it's an impediment, it doesn't make sense to use it.''

Portage County started using the system in late March.

''We were as prepared as you could be,'' said Penny Ray, division manager of Children Services. ''We were really proud of ourselves and really excited to convert to the system. It had been presented to us that this system worked and it truly did not.''

It would shut down in the middle of reports, forcing workers to re-enter information from scratch, or not allow workers to enter required information, she said. It's also created terrible morale in the office.

County leaders tried to point out the flaws right away but were rebuffed, she said.

''They were telling us we were doing the work wrong,'' Ray said. ''I truly do not believe we got heard until September and October. Some counties were really afraid to complain. No one is afraid anymore.''

Local leaders also took the state to task for aggressively adding counties when so many problems were being discovered.

The state's Bouder acknowledged that communications could have been better, and said the state is doing a better job responding to concerns.

Technical support has also been lacking, county officials said.

Mead Wilkins, director of the Medina County Department of Job and Family Services, remembered one call to the state seeking help that referred the county worker to a 20-page manual.

Workers don't have time to read a technical manual, he said.

Ray and some others said they wish they never started using the system.

''I think those of us who did convert got screwed,'' she said.

Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.

The state should study whether to scrap a new $92 million statewide child-welfare database because it's horribly flawed, some county leaders say.

Get the full article here.



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