Ministry of Social Development (MIS100 2011)

By Jess Meyer
Monday, June 6, 2011

For CIO David Habershon and his team, the focus is on “using technology to make a difference”.

The Ministry of Social Development is tasked with providing care and protection to New Zealand’s youth, income and employment support, funding to community service providers, social policy and advice to government, and assistance to students through allowances and loans. To achieve this wide-ranging brief, it has to maintain a presence in almost every town and staff have connections to every community in New Zealand.

“The way people manage their day-to-day transactions has changed dramatically in the past decade. They don’t organise their lives neatly around how government agencies are configured, and we don’t think that they should have to,” says Habershon. “Technology is at the forefront of the way we are changing how we do our business. Being able to deliver our services in a way that meets the future needs of New Zealanders is what drives our IT strategy.”

He says the ministry’s key IT strategy themes are around:
• ‘Channel shift’ — to provide enhanced self-service via the web, kiosks at service‑centres and over the mobile-phone channel.

• System simplification - for the front-line staff.

• ‘Mobility’ — to better enable front-line staff to deliver services while in the field.

• Collaboration — with other government agencies, community groups and NGOs.

• Real-time outcomes measurement and reporting.

A key component of the IT strategy centres on its Cúram platform, a social services framework designed by the Irish company Cúram Software. In 2007, the MSD made a strategic investment in this platform and has ongoing plans to use it as the cornerstone system for its frontline delivery.

Read the full article and learn more about the ministry and its work with Cúram Software.