Practitioner perspectives on the implementation of an electronic information system to enforce practice standards in England

Research in England, mainland Europe and Australia has demonstrated how the introduction of electronic information systems (IS) has been highly problematic for frontline social workers, particularly in terms of diverting their time, attention and energy away from direct work with service users. IS have evolved over the years to become increasingly complex and demanding in terms of the nature and volume of data that is required to be entered by social workers. While incorporating workflows in an IS that direct social workers to specific tasks at a particular time is not new, one recently implemented IS incorporates a plethora of workflows that aim to enforce compliance with practice procedures and standards. In this article, the findings from a small qualitative study which aimed to evaluate the reaction of social workers to this new form of IS are reported. Going beyond the problems expected with the introduction of a new IS and drawing theoretically from social informatics and joint cognitive systems, the reasons why this form of IS may be particularly problematic for frontline social workers are explored.