NT govt hands $67m to new child protection IT system

The NT government has committed $66.9 million to develop an integrated client IT system and data brokerage service for child protection and youth justice.

Minister for Territory Families Dale Wakefield announced funding for the new system last week, as part of a $229.6 million investment to overhaul the state's child protection and youth justice systems over the next five years.

The “historic” funding is in response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children.

The Commission recommended changes to information management systems after finding “the outcomes for children in care ... were sometimes compromised through poor information management and failures to share information”.

The new platform, dubbed the client management system alignment (CMSA), will manage cases and share information, replacing the current community care information system (CCIS).

It will also record additional information outlined in the Royal Commission’s recommendations, and link up with other systems to allow for cross-government data integration.

“This new information system is crucial to help staff make informed decisions about children and keep them safe from abuse and harm,” Ms Wakefield said in a statement.

“It will also link with health and police databases to allow for coordinated action.”

The Department of Corporate and Information Services and Territory Families has already begun work to scope the new system.