The new MOSAIC system for City of York Council’s Children’s Services is a state-of-the-art system which will map the work being done with over 1,000 of the most vulnerable children and their families in the city, to ensure that they are given the right help at the right time to improve their life chances.

It will have a secure online portal which will allow parents, carers and the children and young people themselves to participate in the planning and review of the work being done to support them

Following a rigorous procurement process and a staff consultation, the MOSAIC system was chosen because it is easy and quick to use and meets the recommendations of the ‘Munro’ national review of child protection: it recommended less bureaucracy for social workers to enable a sharper focus on outcomes. Social workers will be able to log onto and use the system remotely, allowing them to work more flexibly and responsively whilst away from their desks.

The system, the most up-to-date available, and in use in a large number of other local authorities, also allows the council to adapt quickly to changes to national and local priorities. It will merge a number of separate databases, and will support faster and more accurate payroll services for the council’s foster carers and other providers.

Eoin Rush, Assistant Director of Children’s Specialist Services at City of York Council, said: “MOSAIC represents a significant financial investment in Children’s Services which is driven by our commitment to ensure that all our systems and processes support effective practice, and help to achieve the best possible outcomes for children, young people and their families.”