Trying to capture the many different ways our software has helped people over the last few decades is a difficult task, so we have put together some of the things they have told us over the years to help paint a picture.

Testimonials

The time savings we’ve been able to make since using ECINS has been enormous. We’ve been able to significantly cut down the time we spend on data entry and searching for information. It is just so quick! We now spend far less time in the office and, as a result, far more time with our clients. The other most useful element is the constant trail of work that is recorded and therefore accessible to the whole team. Chris Day, Housing Support Worker, 180° Norfolk

One of the main positive features of using ECINS is that all data is locked down until you, as the owner of the data, choose to open up the information and to whom. This facilitates the capturing of the comprehensive work being conducted, whilst complying with confidentiality and data protection guidance. Knowing that the information is on the system, but can’t be accessed by the whole network reassures the young person making disclosures, whilst also enabling an inclusive management of risk. Jules Trompowsky, Rescue and Response Partnership Coordinator, Rescue and Response Project (County Lines)

Our partnership with ECINS gives us a competitive advantage and places us at the cutting edge of monitoring and evaluation for Aboriginal men who use intimate partner violence. It is also going to be a significant catalyst in our success in securing funding, moving forward. Devon Cuimara – Founder CEO, Aboriginal Males Healing Centre

I would like to express my gratitude to the team for the above and beyond effort that you have provided in order to deliver the ECINS case management and reporting system, as well as the support that you have provided to The Topaz Centre team. I recognise the hours of work and problem solving that has gone into developing the SARC reporting capabilities and its fabulous to see the end results. Deborah Hooton, Service Manager, Nottinghamshire Rape and Serious Sexual Assault Partnership

I think the pure beauty of ECINS is that it offers a single record which means that everything is in one single place. It’s completely secure, GDPR compliant, very simple and easy to use and it enables you to build, in realtime, a chronology of all the people that are working with a child so you can build more quickly, more effectively and more safely, a holistic child’s profile. Claire George, Head of Peterborough’s Pupil Referral Service and Safeguarding and Prevent Lead for Education for Peterborough

ECINS has been instrumental in the information sharing process that allowed us to produce a timely report to Social Care. That report helped identify that more intense help was urgently required within a particular family. In this case, ECINS may well have prevented a serious case review having to be carried out. Andy Solomon, ASB Team Leader of the Community Protection Team at Ipswich Borough Council

Whilst modern day information sharing has become so easy, we have to ensure the security arrangements are iron-clad. A third-party cloud-based system which is properly firewalled with the installation of password and pin number security that ECINS offers enables us to evidence that we have taken every reasonable step to comply with Security Protocol and Data Regulations. Phil Priestley, Cambs City/South Cambs/Hunts NPT SPOC, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

By utilising ECINS as our data sharing platform we ensure that support and treatment is at the heart of all decisions made regarding any follow up care that may be required. ECINS gives us the clear information we need to inform access to alternative solutions to meet the needs of the individual.
Shelley Ward, Operation Farmington Project Officer, Partnership and Operational Support Drugs and Alcohol Policy & Practice Team, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

We currently have ten cases we are working on and rather than everyone using separate emails, all the information is going into ECINS. Not only is it making the process quicker and more professional, it is also enabling more accountability as you can task individuals from within the system and send automatic reminders. Les Golding, Modern Slavery Investigator at Sussex Police

The difference ECINS is making to our organisation for efficiency, effectiveness, accessibility and managing our caseloads is enormous; it is transforming the way we can store and manage the families we are supporting. Kirsty Richardson, Head of Operations for Tiny Life

Working with a large number of external agencies it is so important to make sure we have the relevant permissions and consent from everyone involved. The documents tab is a great place to hold the Information Sharing Agreement which is a simple signed form that gives consent from the client that they agree to their information being shared with other agencies. For a lot of agencies that is all they need to share information with us. We also hold all other relevant documents under this tab; we scan everything and upload it which saves us having to photocopy or email information to partner agencies as it is all there for them to see in one place. Cati Jervis, Pathfinder Keyworker at Devon and Cornwall Police

There are many crossovers between the various teams – Anti-Social Behaviour, Youth Offending etc. By using ECINS we can map that activity and then track and monitor that individual. We have had cases where individuals known in one part of the UK for burglary have been identified in another part of the UK. We’ve only been able to discover that through using ECINS. ECINS enables us to identify who a person is and link in with existing intelligence to see if there is anything we could be doing to mitigate the risk of harm to this person and the wider community. Richard Norfolk, Community Safety Team, Environment Commissioning Group, London Borough of Barnet

Since introducing ECINS, Sussex Police has halved the average number of days it takes to progress restorative justice cases from referral to finalisation Elize Manning, RJ Coordinator, Sussex Police

We were having one or two permanent exclusions every three weeks. But it’s fair to say that since setting up the Behavioural Support Panels on ECINS we have only had two permanent exclusions in two years. ECINS has been absolutely central to the success of the scheme, it really is an amazing tool that has allowed us to carry out this work in a secure and efficient way and help us deliver joined up support. Andy Craighead, Peterborough Pupil Referral Service, Cambridgeshire

ECINS is giving us a clearer point of contact so we can quickly allocate individual Family Support Officers, wherever they are based and there is no need to keep paper documents or transport information. Kirsty Richardson, Head of Operations for Tiny Life

The ECINS mapping functionality has helped us understand where young people are spending their time, and if there is a correlation with exploitation taking place in these hotspots. For example, the project allows us to work closely with local authorities where we can start to map data about young people and their school, and start to understand how these connections are taking place. Jules Trompowsky, Rescue and Response Partnership Coordinator (North London), Rescue and Response Project (County Lines)

The Referral Module encourages enforcement, enables working between agencies, streamlines our strategy and makes it as easy as possible for partners to enforce Public Space Protection Orders. The form we have created using the module is really quick and easy to fill in. The great thing is that it has everything that we need contained within that Form. Lee Spear, Community Safety Officer for the London Boroughs of Richmond and Wandsworth

We use the ECINS Assessment Tool to carry out an initial full assessment of the client, looking at their life circumstances and support needs. This gives us an in-depth knowledge of the type of agencies we need to involve to provide the right type of interventions. We then utilise ECINS’ in-built Wheel Assessment which touches on each of the critical pathways we’re involved with. It gives us a snapshot of all the interventions made and how they are rated in terms of success. We carry out this assessment a number of times throughout a four month process to check progress and a final assessment at the end of the contract period indicates how effective the interventions have been and measures outcomes. The Wheel Assessment is a great tool to use, it is so easy to complete and it acts as the focus of conversation in client meetings, talking through their issues and concerns.
Cati Jervis, Pathfinder Keyworker at Devon and Cornwall Police

Having our information on ECINS, which can be accessed remotely, enables our Outreach Team to work outside of the office in community settings thus providing significant cost and time savings. Deborah Hooton, Service Manager, Rape Crisis Centre

I wouldn’t say I am a confident computer-user but I do feel very much in control with the implementation of the scheme on ECINS. The system is locked down to just the people the Panel decide we want to work with on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. 14 people have general daily access and we invite the Police in on specific cases on a day-to-day basis. ECINS gives us the flexibility to involve people on a need to know basis and ensure that they only have access if we want them to. Andy Craighead, Peterborough Pupil Referral Unit, Cambridgeshire

From a safeguarding point of view ECINS allows us to gather evidence from a range of sources to build a more complete picture far more quickly than any other system. It allows us to assess risk and vulnerability and then determine the actions that need taking, whether at our level or whether we need to pass it on to a risk holding agency such as Childrens Social Care. Claire George, Head of Service, Peterborough Pupil Referral Service

As a Response Officer it is useful to have more than just the information recorded on an incident log, particularly for issues such as neighbourhood disputes. Having access to risk assessments that might have been created and getting to know the full context of the dispute is very valuable. Police Sergeant Justin Howard, Peterborough South Neighbourhood Partnership Team, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Without ECINS we could have breached the Data Protection Act by sharing email information which could potentially be forwarded on to someone else. As Data Controller, if I emailed information to an individual and they sent it on to someone else I would potentially be responsible for that landing in the wrong hands. It’s much cheaper for us to open up ECINS access to our partners than it is to get hit by a fine from the Data Commissioner. Phil Priestley, Cambs City/South Cambs/Hunts NPT SPOC, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

ECINS have worked with us over a number of years to develop, refine and adapt the ECINS system to our specific needs. People who work for Pact who have used other systems tell me that it is the best system they have ever used, and it particularly suits us because it allows us to take a ‘team around the family’ type approach – from inside and outside prisons – and between and across establishments and organisational silos. Andy Keen-Downs, Chief Executive of Pact

I had one case where the Make Amends Team were finding it difficult to make contact with an offender but I was able to contact him quite easily. We were getting different sides to the client’s story, but because we share the same system we have live information from all the agencies involved. This gives us access to the most accurate up-to-date information before we visit a client. Cati Jervis, Pathfinder Keyworker at Devon and Cornwall Police

The Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority wanted a system which all three agencies could look at in real-time, and whilst at the premises. They wanted to be able to look at live data, update it in real-time and hold all the information in one place and ECINS worked very well for this. Jordan Cashmore, ECINS Organisational Admin, Nottinghamshire Police

Having the full picture that ECINS gives us enables those professionals around the table to make sound judgements as to the risk an individual poses and then collectively make decisions about how we work to mitigate that risk. Claire George, Head of Service, Peterborough Pupil Referral Service

Even though we in the police have encrypted emails, most of the schools do not. If we want to share information which is sensitive, involving individuals or intelligence straight away we ask them to register on ECINS. Phil Priestley, Cambs City/South Cambs/Hunts NPT SPOC, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

ECINS enables us to map the past and current locations of vulnerable young people, allowing stake holders to track profiles across boroughs so that if young people move from one borough to another, support can be seamlessly picked up by the new council area. Jules Trompowsky, Rescue and Response Partnership Coordinator, Rescue and Response Project (County Lines)

The ECINS ASB Warning Notices System is proving successful so far in reducing reoffending. Since establishing the system they have issued over 12,000 ASB Warnings but only 8% of those issued with a warning have been served a repeat notice. Sergeant Colin Reed, Central East BCU – Partnership & Prevention, Metropolitan Police Service

ECINS was key to the successes of our “Problem Solving Plan,” which was a runner up in the Partnership Category for the London Problem Solving Awards. ECINS allowed partners to work in collaboration on the same IT system and also allowed officers to access it remotely via their mobile devices. Tony Freeman, Citizens in Policing Sgt FHQ, Territorial Policing Support, British Transport Police

With ECINS all of the information is in one place, unlike with emails, where you don’t get the whole story or you have the risk of people being left off the email chains. Having everything in one place means you get the picture from the very beginning and see all of the developments as the case progresses. Les Golding, Modern Slavery Investigator at Sussex Police

Our experience is by being able to use ECINS in a realtime scenario is that is saves a massive amount of time, otherwise we would have to take handwritten notes at a family home or school and then come back to the office and type it up. We would effectively be doubling the work load without the use of ECINS. Claire George, Head of Peterborough’s Pupil Referral Service and Safeguarding and Prevent Lead for Education for Peterborough

I usually research places and premises on ECINS before I go out on a visit but if I come across a problem area, or I need to find out more information quickly I often use ECINS on my mobile phone. I can log in to the system and get the information I need, in realtime, when out and about. PC David McIlwhan, Fenland Neighbourhood Policing Team, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

The type of information we share can be quite complex, for example we might want to discuss a high-risk young person who goes missing from home frequently. How much is it going to help us to have up to date, live information? That is where ECINS benefits us – it’s the product that underpins everything and allows us to be able to do just that. Phil Priestley, Cambs City/South Cambs/Hunts NPT SPOC, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Because we all input data straight into ECINS there is no need to make additional phone calls or set up multiple strategy meetings. For example, Harrow conduct a daily Violence, Vulnerability and Exploitation Panel. The use of ECINS allows for instant updates to be added to cases, amending risk assessments and allocating profiles in real time. The action log gives us a clear understanding of what work has taken place and enabling us to be accountable for these actions. Jules Trompowsky, Rescue and Response Partnership Coordinator, Rescue and Response Project (County Lines)

I was drowning in emails before, but ECINS has improved our processes and made everything more transparent to our partners which is saving us time. It has also meant we can save time by reducing the need for physical meetings too. Sergeant Colin Reed, Central East BCU – Partnership & Prevention, Metropolitan Police Service

The ECINS Community Protection Notice pilot in Westminster City Council saw a 29% reduction in community complaints to British Transport Police. This successful outcome means we have now rolled out the system to all other stations within the Borough and are using the partnership ECINS platform to do this. Tony Freeman, Citizens in Policing Sgt FHQ, Territorial Policing Support, British Transport Police

A service provider like ECINS gives us a standard of approval to the highest level. We know that everyone we share information with is relevant, that they have signed up to our information sharing agreement and have the information for a legitimate purpose. In terms of the management of the data we can evidence that we have managed that data responsibly. Our PCC has made a hard-line direction to us that we will not get on the wrong side of Data Protection and ECINS affords us the high level of security we need with its access permissions. Phil Priestley, Cambs City/South Cambs/Hunts NPT SPOC, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

With ECINS being a secure cloud-based system, the Support Worker is able to login remotely to get up to date information in realtime and update the system whilst out on Family Home Visits. ECINS has been absolutely central to the success of the scheme, it really is an amazing tool that has allowed us to carry out this work in a secure and efficient way and help us deliver joined up support. Andy Craighead, Peterborough Pupil Referral Unit, Cambridgeshire

We use ECINS as a pan-London approach for managing and appropriately sharing sensitive information. The ease of doing so via ECINS has enabled us to have total control of the content we share, minimising potential anxiety around inappropriate sharing, data protection breaches and having to log in to separate secure email platforms. We have found that the more people using ECINS, the easier it is to send information between us within the system, safe in the knowledge that it is secure. Jules Trompowsky, Rescue and Response Partnership Coordinator, Rescue and Response Project (County Lines)

By working with a range of support agencies via ECINS we are able to see specific details relating to how individual’s meetings with partners have transpired, which gives us a much richer picture of an individual’s situation. Crucially, it enables us to offer a second chance to people, give them tailored and individual support and hopefully divert them from re-offending. Emma Taylor, Investigation Management Unit Operator, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

The biggest benefit ECINS brings to us is the ability to securely share information and the management of risk. If partners do not sign up and share information then they are leaving themselves vulnerable to organisational risk as the consequences of not sharing, acting or reacting to developing risk could be suicide or even homicide. Richard Norfolk, Reducing Offending Partnership Coordinator, Community Safety Team, Environment Commissioning Group, London Borough of Barnet

By using ECINS, we are also able to help facilitate information sharing across London boroughs and wider partners, to ensure there is a robust professional network supporting each young person. Due to a variety of county forces using the system, we are able to check if any young people referred to the project are also known to those forces, again helping share information quick time and link partners together. Megan Hatton, Rescue & Response Operations Manager (County Lines)

We find that part of the benefit of ECINS is the realtime recording. Quite often we will do a two hour block in the morning and then have a half an hour travel before going straight into another school. We record the work we have done, record the actions and task those actions while we are in the school so that by the time we leave the school after the 2 hour session, actions are not just recorded but actively in progress. Claire George, Head of Peterborough’s Pupil Referral Service and Safeguarding and Prevent Lead for Education for Peterborough

ECINS has effectively allowed us to be open and honest about the issues we want to discuss with our partners. Before ECINS, if we wanted to discuss an individual we would only be able to refer to them by their initials rather than their full name so we did not improperly identify them to others and we would have to keep information to a minimum. Phil Priestley, Cambs City/South Cambs/Hunts NPT SPOC, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

The ECINS referral module is a robust communication platform that allows us to discuss potential referrals into our project and quality assure those referrals so there is a consistent standard with every referral application. Jules Trompowsky, Rescue and Response Partnership Coordinator, Rescue and Response Project (County Lines)

ECINS enables us to run our meetings and share information with all partners and gives us the confidence that we are discussing and sharing in a secure manner. This is particularly important as many of the people and subjects we are discussing relates to juveniles. We can upload images in confidence, sharing information and allowing others to confidentially share their information so that we get a complete picture offered by more than one person. It’s a bit like Wikipedia – everyone coming together to give their view, cover the issues we are confronting and the timescales we are going to address them in. Phil Priestley, Cambs City/South Cambs/Hunts NPT SPOC, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Our work is to reduce reoffending by addressing people’s individual needs to reduce the cost of crime in London. If an offender has a drug habit, for instance, we work with them to get their needs met to reduce their reoffending, reducing costs to society and the drain on the resources to the NHS, Housing etc. ECINS enables the multi-agency working practices to make this work a reality. Richard Norfolk, Reducing Offending Partnership Coordinator, Community Safety Team, Environment Commissioning Group, London Borough of Barnet

Quite often individuals are high demand to the police because other agencies have not yet come into contact with them, they have become disengaged, or been lost in the system. With ECINS we can ask all relevant professionals to get up to speed on the cases so that when we get together everyone is fully informed and come prepared with questions. It really helps to save time as there is no need to trail through case histories. Shelley Ward, Partnership and Operational Support Drugs and Alcohol Policy & Practice Team, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

As an ex-front line practitioner myself, having used four different case management systems, none have offered the opportunity to work in a multi-agency capacity with such ease as ECINS. Jules Trompowsky, Rescue and Response Partnership Coordinator (North London), Rescue and Response Project (County Lines)

90% of our partnership are using ECINS to share information and those who don’t embrace it are leaving themselves vulnerable to risk and criticism for not sharing information in the most effective way. Richard Norfolk, Reducing Offending Partnership Coordinator, Community Safety Team, Environment Commissioning Group, London Borough of Barnet

I feel confident in explaining the functions of the system, safe in the knowledge that if there is anything I don’t know the answer to I can quickly get the information from the in-built Support Feature which tells me exactly what I need. Jules Trompowsky, Rescue and Response Partnership Coordinator (North London), Rescue and Response Project (County Lines)

When working with any school there is a point where we need to share information with them. Before ECINS, I have literally printed documents off, put them in a sealed envelope and put it in the hands of a PCSO to deliver it personally to a school to hand it to a specific individual in order to ensure they are secure. With the ability to lock information down and set individual access permissions, ECINS is a far easier, quicker and more secure method! Phil Priestley, Cambs City/South Cambs/Hunts NPT SPOC, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Whilst information sharing is conducted from one borough to the next, ECINS enables us to map the past and current locations of these young people, allowing stake holders to track profiles across boroughs so that if young people move from one borough to another, support can be seamlessly picked up by the new council area. Jules Trompowsky, Rescue and Response Partnership Coordinator (North London), Rescue and Response Project (County Lines)

ECINS has been absolutely pivotal to the way we are able to work. We don’t have any other system that can communicate across agencies, that is critical to the work that we currently do and ECINS is a very valuable tool in our toolbox. Claire George, Head of Peterborough’s Pupil Referral Service and Safeguarding and Prevent Lead for Education for Peterborough

As ECINS is accessible remotely, officers can upload information on their i-pads when out on the street so they are actively addressing live operations. As they already have the information about the cases they are working on in front of them they can easily update cases giving everyone real-time information. Claire Hardy, Senior Practitioner (Crime & ASB), City Wide Operations, Public Protection & Licensing Directorate, Westminster City Council