DAYTON, Ohio -- Montgomery County Children Services (MCCS) in Ohio investigates approximately 3,700 child abuse and neglect cases each year. Staffed with 176 caseworkers, the agency needed to track detailed information about reported cases of child abuse and neglect more efficiently, so caseworkers could spend less time at the office and more time helping families. Automating the agency's manual process of documenting and tracking case information, however, meant developing a Web-based system, a project too large for the agency's eight-person IT team.

MCCS decided to build a Web Family and Child Tracking System (WebFACTS), a Web-based application that enables caseworkers to document and track case information regarding reported child abuse and neglect cases. Caseworkers can easily access WebFACTS using a laptop with an Internet browser to instantly enter and retrieve information about a family, saving time. MCCS is the first child welfare agency in Ohio that has a Web-based case management system that meets state-mandated reporting requirements.

MCCS built the case management system with help from Compuware professional services staff. WebFACTS streamlines processes, eliminating time-consuming manual steps. Caseworkers now have instant access to information to respond quicker to crisis situations. In the past, MCCS used a system that lacked the flexibility to adapt to the agency's procedures. This meant that caseworkers had to hand-write the details of a report incident on a multiple-page form, copy the form and distribute the copies to an assigned social worker for follow-up. A team of data entry personnel then had to manually enter the information into a DOS-based system.

Today, more than 90 percent of MCCS employees, ranging from the executive director to caseworkers to clerical staff, have access to the new Web-based case management system. Caseworkers have reduced their paperwork while improving overall efficiency. Many manual recording tasks that consumed caseworkers time in the past are eliminated with WebFACTS, allowing them to collect and disseminate information faster as well as generate reports in a more timely and consistent manner. Also, with its own case management system up and running, MCCS no longer needs to wait the standard six to eight months for reports generated by the state; now they can generate reports on demand.