new technology in the human services

NTHS Vol: 10(3) pp21-22

Passada Software consists of a suite of programs which may be purchased as a package or individually. For prices and demonstration disk contact the author:

Dr David Colombi,
6 Bitterne Way,
Bitterne
Southampton
UK.

Tel: +44 (0) 023 8032 1164
email: colombi@passada.co.uk
WWW: http://www.passada.co.uk

Stan Cook is Implementation Manager for Greater Manchester Probation Service.

Contact him at:

Greater Manchester Probation Service,
Oaklands house,
Talbot Road,
Manchester M16 0PQ
UK

Passada Software

Reviewed by Stan Cook

Probation services in England and Wales now have a national strategy for information systems. At the heart of this is the belief that access to accurate, timely and relevant information is essential to maintain the health of any organisation. It is recognised that the availability of this high quality output should not be the exclusive domain of strategic managers. It underlines that practice staff have equally valid requirements of high quality information albeit from different sources and for different reasons.

The first priority of the strategy was to develop a case management tool. CRAMS - the Case Record Administration System is the result. It is an operational tool to assist operational staff to manage their caseload from which management and strategic information can be extracted. An adjunct to this is the need to provide software which can assist them in their day to day contact with service users - in the case of the probation service this, of course, means offenders. It is within this context that this suite of programmes from PASSADA Software falls.

PASSADA is a suite of Windows programs designed to be accessed directly by service users with or without assistance from professional staff. There are six separate modules which comprise the PASSADA family. These cover the range of problems which are most likely to be encountered by probation service users; budgeting, alcohol, driving, substance misuse, personal relationships and crisis management. All give a good range of information in a non patronising, non preaching way. They encourage rather than cajole. The programs are visually attractive and try to take the sting out of complex issues.

For me Budgets is the flagship program. The user can enter their budget information and experiment with making adjustments to expenditure and income. The information is detailed without being turgid. The graphics help to simplify and the use of a set of scales which can be re-set as decisions on changing spending patterns are made is an excellent visual aid. Surely offsetting the sense of despair which many feel when confronted by the complexities of their personal finances!

The Alcohol program has a comfortable mix of information and tasks to involve the user. A clear picture of alcohol use emerges and the program offers information on sources of help to manage the problem. I suspect that the program will be particularly useful to those people whose use of alcohol has not become well entrenched. It is highly likely that a large percentage of offenders with an alcohol abuse problem will have been through several similar - or indeed more complex and demanding - programs on their journey through the criminal justice system.

The Driving module scores highly on information about the law and other basic driving information. However the quiz is rather superficial and easy to manipulate. it is not strong on the outcome of bad, dangerous or illegal driving. Information on the social consequences of such acts would give a more balanced picture of these outcomes. Incidentally the detailed information on the law shows how comparatively lightly the law deals with people who use a serious weapon like a car in dangerous ways!

The strong part of the Drugs module is the ‘Sources of Help’ section. It is wide-ranging and gives both local and national contact points. This apart I doubt whether anyone other than a novice user would glean much from it. For that reason its target audience would be the younger end of the at risk group.

I was pleased to see that the A-Z of Love and Sex module attempts to head off voyeurs. By clearly articulating the value judgements of - and by implication the justification for - the module it effectively defuses the user looking for cheap thrills and giggles. In fact I would guess that it contains more valuable information than any other since it provides practical, objective information in an area in which most users see themselves as expert and needing little, if any, instruction.

Crisis is by far the most complex but most rewarding of the modules. Whilst some of the options seemed rather facetious I was impressed that the most likely outcome was displayed. This is a good counterbalance to the tendency to try and second guess. There is something chilling to see what the likely outcome will be, especially if it is at variance with your chosen, often idealised solution. I can see that it is the module most likely to lead on to a wider range of options to problem-solve, for example role play.

To be acceptable this kind of software needs to earn the approval of three groups; service managers who will approve the use; operational/practice staff who need to incorporate into their work patterns, and service users to whom it will be available.

For managers the software must be cost effective, able to run on the provided infrastructure, and contribute to the effective operation of the key business tasks of the organisation. For example a tool which did not contribute towards risk assessment and supervision planning would be unlikely to meet their aspirations.

For practitioners the software must be easy to use, relevant to the task, and readily available. Finally It must give something back. Staff often justifiably criticise service management for providing systems which are long winded, complex, and which are information hungry without providing any usable information. If there is no payback there is generally little commitment.

For service users any software must be easy to use, avoid being patronising and have a purpose. The technology must enhance the message, not mask it. The program must provide options and explanations; it must offer advice not instructions.

Passada

This PASSADA suite can satisfy these three sets of different but overlapping criteria. It is realistically priced at £45 per module and will run on the provided infrastructure. It can contribute to supervision planning and risk assessment in the broadest sense. It is easy to use, informative without being censorious, and rich with information and is designed to produce something which is a starting point for future work. Its strengths are that it demonstrates the potential of service-user software and introduces practice staff to the constructive use of computer programs in their everyday work environment. It can complement the operational tools to support practice which are intended to be introduced as part of the National Probation Service Information Systems Strategy (NPSISS). Its limitation for probation services is that overall it is more relevant to a younger population which is not necessarily the main target group for their staff. I would suggest that the relevant age range for several of the modules is 14 - 19 years of age. Secondly the depth of content of some of the modules is limited. There are products on the market which enhance these packages; I am thinking of some of the output of Fitzwilliam Software1 which develop and enhance this work.

There is a need to engage practice staff with the use of computer related technology in their everyday work. In that regard the PASSADA family is successful. They are a cost effective way of introducing practice staff to the value of software in their dealings with offenders. The critical word is introduction. It is probably fair to describe them as entry level; they open the door to a whole range of products which can enhance service delivery for both practitioners and service users alike.

1 Fitzwilliam Software is produced by Tony Pipe 34 Woodlands Road, Heaton Mersey, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 3AF There are 5 modules.


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Last updated 3 November 2000

The journal has now ceased publication (2003)