The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will begin the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS) pilot program this month as part of its efforts to improve service delivery through automation and digitalization.

With its centralized client data registry and case management system, the IIECMS will facilitate collaborative case management between case managers and social workers from different DSWD programs and institutions while gathering important data for planning and administrative procedures.

“The IECMS will streamline and strategically interconnect the case management processes of the DSWD with local government units (LGUs) and other government agencies,” DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene B. Dumlao said in a statement on Wednesday, April 3.

She said consultations on the IECMS started in 2019 and gained traction in 2020 with the participation of the DSWD’s heads of bureaus and services, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“During the Department’s discussion with them, one of the challenges discovered was the delay in data exchange processes, which hampered efficiency in service delivery. This was also found in the studies made by Maestral International led by De La Salle University,” Dumlao said.

“Hence, it was deemed necessary to create a unified and integrated system to guarantee the seamless access of beneficiary information that will hasten case progress and the provision of services to our beneficiaries,” she added.

The IT infrastructure of the IECMS features a securely stored central data warehouse, or cloud-based storage system, to protect the personal and sensitive personal information of DSWD beneficiaries.

To protect the information and cases of the beneficiaries from unauthorized disclosure and access, the DSWD and UNICEF signed a Data Privacy and Information Sharing Protocol (DPISP) that follows existing data protection laws and guidelines.

The beneficiaries’ data will be fully managed by the DSWD.

The IECMS pilot implementation covers all the Center and Residential Care Facilities (CRCFs) and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Metro Manila.

During the pilot implementation phase, the DSWD, in coordination with UNICEF, will identify areas for fine-tuning the case management software prior to its full-scale implementation throughout the department.

“Through this digitalization initiative, the DSWD is positive that the provision of assistance to beneficiaries from their enrollment to assessment, to intervention and/or referral, and case closure will be done in a more efficient and timely manner,” Dumlao said.