The CSPM is a technical resource for parties involved in the welfare of children. It is accessible by the general public, and is used by professionals working within child protection. The manual is also drawn upon by the judicial system to query and enforce legislation at different points in time.
In line with the Queensland Government’s ‘Digital 1st’ strategy, which aims to position Queensland as a leader in digital government and use technology to make people’s lives easier, the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women sought to create a ‘digital-first’ CSPM.
Updates to the CSPM had traditionally been document-based – changes were made and approved offline, and were eventually incorporated into the online document, which could make for a lengthy process. The Department’s previous website could only be operated by a small group of highly qualified people, and would require IT intervention for updates and changes.
Because of strict compliance requirements, it was also essential to ensure that updates to the CSPM would be viewable.
Users of the CSPM need to be able to track changes to the document, to ensure they’re working with the most up-to-date information and following current procedures, and to be able to reference what the guidelines or laws required at a particular point in time.
The new site was also required to be fresh, modern and responsive; easier to navigate and considerably more user-friendly than its previous iteration.