Bracknell Forest Council - emergency duty service

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Strong data security

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Efficient service

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Automated reporting

Challenge

Bracknell Forest Council (BFS) serves a population of over 125,000 which is growing faster than England’s average. Its digital team is focused on delivering better, more accessible services to all citizens across the Council, including its out-of-hours handling service.

Serving almost a million residents, the Berkshire Emergency Duty Service (EDS) team responds to crisis welfare and safety situations when everyone else has gone home. To support this hardworking team, BFC needed a holistic solution with a person-based view to handle multiple case types with specific workflows.

The solution also needed to keep data secure at all times, whilst replacing manual processes to reduce errors and offering effective reporting.

Moving away from a case-based siloed system, the EDS solution would need to offer more automated self-service, helping release the team from routine admin tasks so they could focus their energies where they’re needed most.

Providing easily manageable systems for our residents to access our services is our priority. As with all technology, advances in this area are constant and we are working to ensure our systems are providing the latest capabilities.

— John Harrison, Executive Member for Culture, Delivery and Public Protection

Efficiency for a fast-paced emergency service

EDS is the Berkshire out-of-hours service and the primary contact for the public and professionals with concerns about a child or vulnerable adult’s welfare and safety, outside of normal office hours. It’s also an out-of-hours Appropriate Adult Service responding to vulnerable adults, children and young people who find themselves in police custody.

When everyone has gone home, these professionally qualified social workers work under pressure in a fast-paced emergency service. Dealing with people in distress, they support the homeless, children who need protection and those having a mental health crisis. Cases are often very time consuming, emotional and complex. Each situation must be carefully assessed, and then a solution recommended and/or a referral made.

Fit for purpose digital transformation

Digital transformation within Councils has become continuous and multi-faceted. As with the EDS service, the BFC digital team considers each stakeholder and need within a service, meeting requirements for:

• Accessibility in supporting vulnerable citizens
• The ability to self-serve in every design
• Legal compliance e.g., preventing data breaches in external data sharing

Solution

Airtight data security

Data is segmented by appropriate roles and permissions, ensuring multi-skilled advisors maintain data integrity at all times.

BFC uses APIs to securely control data flow internally and with third parties. Integration with the Liberty Converse contact centre platform triggers a ‘screen pop’ of caller details — giving screening staff the information they need to triage each call instantly.

While on the same screen, advisors can also update case notes easily and append call recordings for review.

Automated reporting

BFC’s ultimate goal is to ensure all reporting supports the end-to-end operational needs of EDS. A key step in delivering improved reporting is being able to tailor forms to ensure the correct input (e.g. complex medical cases) up front to eliminate any need for rework and provide rich data for better insights.

Reporting filters mean they can select and isolate specific fields for assessment, with alerts to keep those on duty aware of any delays. A case view by stage gives management oversight and visibility to support the team in delivering a safe and secure service.

Improved efficiency

Moving away from a case-based view, with siloed actions and data, to a holistic person-based view, interventions on the EDS solution, built in Liberty Create, can be managed at the person/family level with a 360 view of individuals.

Self-service gives stakeholders reporting and updates to speed up responses and prevent inbound queries. Social workers in the field can also access digital case and citizen information while on visits. To improve overall efficiency, automated updates and alerts reduce the need for oversight. And, as staff are upskilled internally for technical independence, EDS workers are freed up to support the vulnerable.

Liberty Create for case management

Futureproofing

The EDS solution delivers on BFC’s needs for resilience and scalability. Meeting security needs is bolstered by its adaptability — so the BFC digital team can prevent resource pinch points and make changes themselves in an agile way to meet staff and customer needs. This technical independence gives the Council the power to upskill staff easily.

Quality input = quality output

The team can update screening questions easily, to ensure consistent and accurate information gathering in forms and remove the need for manual workarounds.