CHARMS Social Care Community Newsroom

Craig Barrie, CHARMS Project Manager and CHL Director, announced today that Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council contacted CHL to confirm that they have got the go ahead to implement CHARMS for their Fostering and Adoption team. The first project meeting will take place in October 2005 and dates have been proposed for full implementation in November. Jim Moores, CHL’s MD, said “This is great news for CHL and for the Fostering and Adoption Team at Blackburn with Darwen. With the help of Craig and his implementation team, CHARMS will be fully operational before the end of the year. CHARMS is fast becoming the foremost system for the UK’s fostering and adoption community. For more information or to arrange a free demonstration please call 0870 112 0421 and ask for Craig or Clare; or email charms@chl-system.co.uk.”

Well done to Pete and all the Team at Salford Supported Employment. We have had a great week updating the training in ASSET and, for those who got the benefit, the Chinese buffet lunch was good...

"After careful deliberation, and assessment of all the systems on the market, GIS Healthcare this month announced that they are to proceed with ASSET. They are looking to implement ASSET early in the new year (2006). GIS Healthcare is part of Gloucestershire County Council Social Services, and is dedicated to the employment and training of people with disabilities. Part of their business is the supply of aids and appliances, at sensible prices. Contact details are : Phone: 01452-520438 ex 201 Fax: 0800-214490 / 01452- 300850 Contact name: Toni Snarey Address: Sudmeadow Road, Hempsted, Gloucester, GL2 5HS Great news for CHL - and ASSET becomes even more firmly established as the software of choice for Supported Employment and Workstep providers. For a free demonstration of ASSET or for further information please call 0870 112 0421 and ask for Christine or Karen; or email asset@chl-system.co.uk."

"CHL is very pleased to announce that CHARMS - the most recognisable name in adoption and fostering software – is now being installed in St Andrew’s Children’s Society’s Edinburgh office. Craig Barrie, CHL Director and CHARMS Project Leader, said ‘We are delighted that St Andrew’s Children’s Society has made the decision to buy CHARMS. They join the fastest growing adoption and fostering software community and will, from 7th September 2005, see the immediate benefits of having all their records in one place.’ For further information, or a free demonstration of CHARMS please call 0161 237 1872 and ask for Christine or Karen; or email charms@chl-system.co.uk."

"Jim Moores, CHL’s MD, took the call from TiE and, with Mike Barlow - CHL Director and ASSET Project Manager – is looking forward to installation as soon as possible. ASSET is used in more than 55 sites around the UK, from Elgin to Bournemouth, and is fast becoming the de facto standard for software in Supported Employment. Many of the sites are Workstep providers. The Training into Employment scheme (TiE) is an employment service, which has been specially designed to help people with disabilities to find work. Contact Information : Telephone: 0161 911 4799 Fax: 0161 911 3803 E-mail: psd@oldham.gov.uk Address: Physical and Sensory Disability Services, The Link Centre, 140 Union Street, Oldham, OL1 1DZ Opening Hours: 8.40am to 5.00pm Mon-Fri For a free demonstration of ASSET or for further information please call 0870 112 0421 and ask for Christine or Karen; or email asset@chl-system.co.uk."

ETC’s popularity is growing. Recognised as one of the most user-friendly Training Management Systems in Social Services it is now installed at Rochdale MBC’s , Social Services Training Section. This takes our list of users to 16. Thank you to Carol and the Training Team at Foxholes House, and see you again soon… ETC now includes Finance Tracking, NVQ monitoring, Practice Placement management (including outcomes/assessments), Resource Loans, Workforce Development and links to HR systems. For further information please call our office on 0161 237 1872 and ask for Jim Moores.

Thanks to the training team and to Phillip (IT) for making our lives very easy for the installation in December 2004. In January 2005 we paid another visit to pick up on issues and to load the latest version. On 18 April 2005 we will be on site again to see how the Team have been getting on and to make sure everyone is happy. Once again, thank you to Debbie, Carol and the Team for all their help, Jim, Chris and Lorna – CHL For further information please call our office on 0161 237 1872 and ask for Jim Moores.

CHL is pleased to announce that we have been selected to deliver a complete Management Information System for Victim Support National Office. In a statement on their extranet Victim Support said "We are now pleased to announce that a Manchester based company called CHL will be supplying our management information system. The company has been known to us for many years and has a particularly high respect from its users for the quality of its support, and its real understanding of the needs of users. We are delighted to have made this appointment." Mark Collins, Project Manager for Victim Support at CHL said : "After many years of involvement with Victim Support Branches around England and Wales I am really pleased that we have now been given the chance to offer the same level of commitment and support to National Office. I am looking forward to working closely with the National Office Project Team. My thanks go to those Branches that have supported us over the years and to National Office for giving us this opportunity."

Trafford MBC, Social Services is the first beneficiary of CHL's innovative approach to e-Government. As from 15 October 2004 information is shared,electronically, between the Human Resources Team and the Employee Development Team. No more duplication of effort - when a new staff member starts, the details are entered only once. From the main HR database the information is "passed" to CHL's ETC (Enrolment, Training and Certification) system. Training Managers can now be confident that all staff will be quickly identified for essential training. This unique initiative - linking systems from two entirely separate suppliers - takes advantage of the benefits of both systems without costly investment in an overarching computer system that "does everything". Jim Moores, MD of CHL, said :"Trafford Social Services saw, immediately, that this innovative approach would save money and time. I am delighted that their foresight will offer them returns in efficiency. This implementation also means that they can have complete reassurance that HR and Employee Development are always in sync - not a claim that can often be made in any major organisation. Well done to all the staff at Trafford Social Services." Gillian Jones, Employee Development Manager, Trafford MBC said : "I am very pleased that we in Employee Development are playing our part in Trafford MBC's drive to deliver modern accessible services representing best value to our community. One of the key areas of the Council's 'Implementing Electronic Government Return 2003' is : 'Interoperability - To ensure that all systems and process developments are delivered jointly, appropriately and facilitate multi-agency information sharing.' With CHL's help we have taken the best of our existing staffing systems and linked them together to save time and ensure data is stored only once. As well as saving taxpayers money we can also make sure that training is delivered to all staff in a timely fashion so that services offered to the Trafford community are of the highest standard." For further information you can talk to Gillian Jones (Trafford MBC) on 0161 912 4204. or Jim Moores (CHL) on 0870 112 0421."

Leading charity, the British Association for Adoption & Fostering today commented on being declared preferred bidder to run the National Adoption Register on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. Felicity Collier, BAAF's chief executive said: "I am delighted that BAAF has been given the opportunity to run the National Adoption Register in England and Wales for the next three years. This Register has a vital role in helping to find families for children where a local family cannot be found for them. Our priority will be to work closely with social workers across the country to increase the number of children placed for adoption. I believe that BAAF is ideally placed, with its knowledge and experience, to take the Register into its next phase." "BAAF already enjoys an excellent relationship with local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies across the country and also with Adoption UK, the organisation supporting adoptive families. We want to complement the excellent regional work that is already taking place by groups of agencies working together in the adoption consortia. We know how concerned social workers are about the children for whom they cannot find families. Every child has the right to a secure and loving family and we want to help make this possible." BAAF intends to continue to use the CHARMS computer system from Computing Help Limited (CHL) to support the Register. Jim Moores, Managing Director of CHL said: "I am very pleased to be given the opportunity by BAAF to continue to support this national initiative. We have worked very closely with Norwood over the last three years to help establish a unique, national resource that has helped to identify families for those children in greatest need of a permanent home. The next three years will be even more exciting as new ideas will be put into action." Contact: If you would like to interview Felicity Collier, please contact Gabriella Brooks, Media Manager, 020 7593 2053 or 07767 444 589 Notes to Editor · The British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) is the UK's leading adoption and fostering charity. For more information visit BAAF organisation · The National Adoption Register was set up in 2001 with the aim of increasing the number of children adopted each year. This national database contains the details of children needing adoption and of all approved families waiting to adopt. The database then 'matches' children with prospective families. · Computing Help Limited (CHL) is a Manchester based software company and is one of the fastest growing providers of systems to the Social Care Community in the UK.