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Electronic Information Systems and Human Services Organisations: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Participatory Design.

Recent research and evaluation of the forms of electronic information systems (IS) being used in child welfare agencies in both Australia and England and Wales have shown that, despite the many millions of dollars spent, not only are they unfit for purpose, but also they may undermine front line pra...

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Published in:British Journal of Social Work Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 651 - 667
Main Author: Gillingham, Philip
Format: research Journal Article
Published: Oxford University Press / USA Mar2015
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Mar2015
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      pub: Oxford University Press / USA
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        atl: Electronic Information Systems and Human Services Organisations: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Participatory Design.
      aug:
        au: Gillingham, Philip
        affil: Senior Lecturer in Social Work, School of Social Work and Human Services, University of Queensland (St Lucia Campus), Brisbane, Australia
      sug:
        subj:
          Health Information Systems
          Social Work
          Ethnographic Research
          Human
          Systems Design
          Systems Implementation
          Queensland
          Participant Observation
          Interviews
          Seminars and Workshops
          Focus Groups
          Child Welfare
          Case Studies
          Funding Source
      ab: Recent research and evaluation of the forms of electronic information systems (IS) being used in child welfare agencies in both Australia and England and Wales have shown that, despite the many millions of dollars spent, not only are they unfit for purpose, but also they may undermine front line practice. Jurisdictions may differ in their readiness to accept and respond to these criticisms, but attention is now turning to how IS can be designed that do meet the needs of practitioners. A particular problem that has been identified is the limited involvement that practitioners have had in the design of I Sand efforts are now being made to include them. Though there is a considerable amount of literature about how to include the intended users of technology in designing IS, there is a paucity of advice that is relevant to the particular circumstances of social work and social care practitioners. Drawing from an ethnographic study of an IS implementation project in a human services organisation, this article aims to begin to address this gap in the literature by articulating some of the pitfalls for social workers and other human services staff who may become involved in the design, or redesign, of IS.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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