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North Carolina County Invests in Social Work App

Cabarrus County, N.C., has approved the use of a mobile application to help social workers manage child protection cases.

Social workers in Cabarrus County, N.C., will have a new tool to use to help manage child protection cases – Compass CoPilot.

The mobile app gives mobile access to Compass Pilot, a program county employees already use that stores client data and documents. The change eliminates some paperwork, and the application automatically links any new information taken in the field with data back at the office.

Social workers can use the application on a tablet to check on a family’s history, access criminal background checks and connect to a statewide database. Other features include dictation and transcription, and audio recording. So instead of checking out a camera or bringing information back to the office, it can all be done remotely.

According to Cabarrus News – a part of the Charlotte Observer – Cabarrus County’s total investment in the technology is $180,840, which includes 19 iPads, support and training. Long term, the county’s Child Protective Services hopes to spread the technology to the entire child welfare division.

“Our whole job is to protect children the best we can,” Ben Rose, director of human services for Cabarrus County, told Cabarrus News. “Being able to accomplish this with a tablet makes gathering the information less intrusive, helping put clients at ease and allowing for better interactions. The staff is very excited about the new technology; this is a test for it.”
 

Brian Heaton was a writer for Government Technology and Emergency Management magazines from 2011 to mid-2015.