Foster Care Associates – caring where the money goes
Foster Care Associates (FCA) is the largest independent fostering agency in the UK. PSL has been working with FCA since 2001 as the agency has grown, developing from a network of regional offices to a truly national organisation. These changes were not just organisational but culturally as FCA moved from virtually little or no IT to having a web-based database application that was developed by PSL. Now it is difficult to think of life without the database as over 70 offices use the database daily, recording the processes of carer recruitment and the placement of around 2000 young people at any one time nationally.
Keeping track of where the money goes
A key part of FCA’s responsibility involves providing support through resource workers for the young people in its care. This can involve providing transport, supervision, activities, etc. Their time needs to be efficiently scheduled so they can carry out the various tasks involving the young people and/or their carers. Much of this time is then recharged externally to local authorities.
How can you not be impressed by the fact that by a flick of the finger I can bring up information on workload, hours worked and support given in a matter of seconds, when in the past we may have and indeed have spent days trawling through records to find out information."
Lin Dennis, Resources Manager, Fostercare Associates
PSL were asked if they could develop an add-on to the database for FCA Resources.
The result is that the whole business process is now entirely on-line. Initial requests are made through regional offices. Approval is then obtained internally and often externally from the local authority if they are paying for the resource. All this is recorded on the database. As jobs are agreed, resource workers are scheduled against them. Job sheets can then be produced for individual resource workers detailing their work commitments – where they’re supposed to be, when, who they’re working with etc.
Paperwork is virtually non-existent and best of all it can’t get lost!
Lin Dennis is the Resources Manager for the largest FCA region – “How can you not be impressed by the fact that by a flick of the finger I can bring up information on workload, hours worked and support given in a matter of seconds, when in the past we may have and indeed have spent days trawling through records to find out information.”
Sitting right at the centre of things the finance department no longer have to wait for the paperwork from the regional offices, or chase it! They immediately know when jobs are ready to be invoiced as they to use the resources system. Invoices can be issued from the resources system in a timely and efficient manner. Information is visible to all and easily traceable.
For Sam Dodwell, Group Finance Credit Controller, again the benefits are clear - “The system, ensures quick and efficient invoicing, and gives a clear audit trail of all transactions. The system copes with different pricing structures, and jobs that could change right up to the point of authorisation. This means all invoices will have been authorised correctly, they are all sent out on time, and there is no fear of accidental duplication. It has made the whole process a great deal more efficient with the bonus of being able to interrogate the data much faster and more accurately.”