Family Connection Partnership News

FCP Launches New Collaboborative Reporting System

After a nearly month-long training blitz, Family Connection collaboratives can now submit several reports online using the newly launched Collaborative Information Management System (CIMS), saving time, energy and effort in collaborative reporting.

CIMS is an online reporting database that will streamline and simplify reporting. The centralized system makes it easier for Family Connection collaboratives to store and submit community plans, self assessments, and quarterly reports.

Family Connection Partnership led the hands-on CIMS trainings in each region Jan. 17 through Feb. 10. In early January, Region 3 participated in the Web-based training. Collaborative members said that CIMS proved to be easy to use because the format mimics the child and family well-being benchmark and indicator list collaboratives currently use.

"I appreciate the team that put this [CIMS] together because the old program took a really long time to complete," said Kelly Mritz, a seven-year, part-time planning and evaluation manager
for Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services, the Family Connection collaborative in Gwinnett County.

CIMS reports format automatically, the entire report is printable, and the report can be viewed and edited until the due date-even after it has been submitted. Collaboratives have immediate access to their collaborative reports that can be read or printed at any time to advocate for children, youth and families in their local communities.

CIMS also calculates math automatically, reducing chances for error. The system requires no additional software-collaboratives can log on anywhere and at any time from an Internet connection-and all county information is secure.

Amanda Bryant, coordinator of Douglas CORE-the Family Connection collaborative for Douglas County-said she is excited about the new reporting system.

"The electronic reporting seems to be user friendly, and I am looking forward to using it," she said.

Family Connection Partnership provides an online Help Desk for CIMS assistance and technical support.

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