SACWIS

State-wide Automated Social Welfare IS (SACWIS)

I have been following various government efforts to organize and improve. Family services prove particularly difficult. The SACWIS efforts is one in a long string by the US governement.
Jay Silerman lead this effort- $2B federal project under HHS to get states up and running. Money was up and out to the field in 1994.  All states expected to be up and running by 1996.  As of 2005, no state is up and running fully on this system.  At best, states are in the opeartional stage.  See status: click here

Some states now have dumb terminals and a mainframe, some have PCs, Georgia has laptops in workers hands that sync to the central system. One problem - Federal govt. had no authority and little power to define and impose units of analysis and measurement. They begin by bargaining. States argue through negotiation to a lowest common denominator group of measures and definitions.  This leads to the original plan not working. SACWIS originally wanted more than 100 uniform units of analysis.  They now want only 14 for full compliance in routine reporting, yet no state has achieved full compliance as of fall 2005. 

To be sure, the US is not alone, Australia's projects have not been any more succesful. See status: click here