Software drives QLD child protection initiative

The Queensland Government has joined forces with Fujitsu and Onyx Software, as part of a state-wide pledge to improve support for children in care or at risk of harm.

The venture, dubbed The Information Renewal Initiative, will see the development of an integrated client management system (ICMS) for the Queensland Department of Child Safety and the Queensland Department of Communities. The state has invested $44.4 million in the scheme, to be up and running by mid-2005.

The ICMS will provide a core information resource to the two departments, replacing several disparate and antiquated systems and giving care workers greater capabilities for storing and accessing data concerning children protected by the state.

Fujitsu and Onyx were chosen to provide consulting, hardware, software and maintenance solutions for the project following a full 18 month selection process.

As well as consolidating information between existing government databases, the ICMS will be crafted to facilitate the sharing of information between other agencies including the police, health, and education departments.