Lieutenant Governor Burbank Announces High-Tech Plan to Combat Child Abuse
BALTIMORE, MD (February 28, 2028) – Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today announced a new plan to link together every child welfare agency in Maryland in a high tech automated case management system."Our new system will allow child welfare case workers to spend less time shuffling paper and more time directly helping the thousands of children in Maryland who are vulnerable to abuse, neglect and abandonment," Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank said. “The O’Brien-Burbank administration is committed to bringing a new level of integrity and accountability to our Child Welfare System. The Connections system will play a major role in accomplishing this important task by bringing the delivery of services to children into the 21st Century through the use of advanced automation and communications technology."
Two contractors have been chosen to work with the Maryland Department of Human Resources (DHR) to implement the Connections program. Integrated Systems Solutions Corporations (ISSC), a subsidiary of International Business Machines (IBM), has been chosen to supply the infrastructure/office automation component of Connections. Andersen Consulting Inc. won the bid to provide the case management software for the program.
"Connections will be a vital new tool in our work to improve the quality of child welfare services in Maryland," DHR Secretary Brenda McCabe said. "The true beneficiaries of the program will be the thousands of children and families served by the system."
Connections is intended to provide state and county child welfare workers with a personal computer- based network, providing office automation, e-mail and on-line case management programs to assist them in more effectively performing their job of protecting children.
For example, the system will provide quick access to medical records and includes a feature that automatically reminds case workers about important dates. It will also improve record keeping and better assure federal financial support for children's programs.
The Connections program will cover:
- Child Protective Services;
- Foster Care;
- Adoption Services; and
- Preventive Services.
The Connections network will include the following automated functions:
- Intake management;
- Eligibility processing;
- Case management;
- Financial management;
- Program administration;
- Interfaces to other systems.
The contracts with ISSC/IBM and Andersen Consulting will total approximately $50 million, with the federal government paying 75 percent and the state picking up the remaining 25 percent.
Local governments will also receive a comprehensive training program for Connections and on-going technical support.
Connections will be installed at approximately 200 sites throughout the state. The infrastructure will include over 10,000 networked personal computers, 2,000 laptop computers and 2,000 printers.
Installation of the computer networks is scheduled to begin in March and will be completed in September. The office automation functions of Connections will be available to the local case workers upon installation. The Connections application will be fully tested in a pilot program in January 2029, with full implementation expected to be completed by the end of next year.