Better data can mean better outcomes for children and families. Having the right number of social service workers with the right skills in the right place helps to ensure better access to services and stronger care and support systems. Preparing for and implementing human resources information systems (HRIS) is a process that helps to identify and define different cadres of the workforce, as well as track the current number of workers, where they are deployed, what their skill sets and salaries are, and where vacancies exist. While the field of social service workforce information systems is generally in an emerging state, efforts are underway in Malawi and Tanzania to adapt HRIS for health workers to the social service workforce.

In this webinar, participants will learn from the experiences of these two countries—Malawi and Tanzania—in adapting iHRIS, an open source set of software applications, to manage the social service workforce. Originally developed for traditional health care cadres such as doctors, nurses, and midwives, the iHRIS suite can be customized to track any type of worker and assist governments in accessing data for decision-making on a routine basis.

Speakers will focus on the process undertaken to modify and launch an HRIS, as well as how data gathered using this system are helping them make decisions on how to plan, develop, and support social service workers as they care for vulnerable children and families.

Questions to be addressed during this webinar include:

• Why is workforce tracking important?
• How would a country get started with adapting iHRIS for the social service workforce?
• How much effort does it take to adapt and launch?
• How much does it cost and is it worth it?
• What have the experiences of some countries been in developing this system and what has the data been used for to date?

Webinar presenters:

• Evelyn Kamote, Senior Social Welfare Officer, Department of Social Welfare, Tanzania
• Norah Kaaya, M&E Consultant, NIRAS and former M&E Specialist for IntraHealth International-led Tanzania Human Resource Capacity Project’s para-social worker program (2011-2013)
• Hilal S. Mohamed, Senior Systems Administrator, University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
• Benjamin Kayala, Ministry of Gender, Children, and Community Development, Malawi
• Dr. Nertha Nyirongo, HRIS Consultant, IntraHealth International, Malawi
• Bakari Bakari, HRIS Consultant, IntraHealth International
• Dykki Settle, Director of Health Workforce Informatics, IntraHealth International and the IntraHealth-led CapacityPlus project

On the date of the webinar, please use this link to log in:http://connect77237864.adobeconnect.com/ssw15march6/
 
This webinar is part of the Social Service Workforce Strengthening Webinar Series. The Social Service Workforce Webinar Series is supported by PEPFAR, USAID, and CapacityPlus.