2.1 ICT strategies were developed for the Education, Arts and Libraries directorate and the Social Services directorate for 2003 – 2006. These strategies linked closely with the Corporate ICT Strategy, which has recently been reviewed and refreshed. This CYPS ICT Strategy draws on, and complements, the new Corporate ICT Strategy.

2.2 The children and young people’s agenda demands children and family focused strategies to link social care, education and the increasing partnership working through The Children’s Trust.

2.3 The purpose of this Strategy is to:

• help clarify priorities
• help resource allocation
• identify investment needs
• identify a set of practical solutions which can be achieved over the next 18 months with a set of approved projects and work packages managed in an agreed governance framework.

2.4 There are some key dates for us in the national agenda:

2.4.1 Children’s Act 2004:

• 30 Nov 2006 – notification of Integrated Children’s System (ICS) phase 2 requirements.
• Jan 2007 – implementation of ICS phase 1.
• April 2008 – implementation of a Common Assessment framework (CAF).
• End of 2008 – implementation of a Single Child Index or Information Sharing Index (ISI).

2.4.2 Information for social care:

• Oct 2005 - new cases on to Electronic Social Care record (ESCR).
• Oct 2006 – all cases on to ESCR.

Dates under review.

2.5 t-Government:

• Citizen and business centred services. IT services must be designed around the citizen or business, not the provider, and must be provided through modern, co-ordinated delivery channels. It is citizen first and process second.
• Shared services. Government must moved to a shared services culture in the front office, back office, in information and infrastructure, and release efficiencies by standard, simple, shared services.
• Professionalism. There must be a broadening and deepening of our professionalism in terms of the planning, delivery, management, skills and governance of changes made possible by IT.

Although t-Government was initially aimed at government departments its scope has widened to include local government. Further guidance is expected in a white paper in autumn 2006.

2.6 The national agendas have already been rehearsed in local plans, which is where the key influences have been identified.