System features

• Access the widest range of families. The detail contained in profiles guides family-finders to families who may best meet a child's needs, whether in-house, from a consortium or provider group, or nationally.
• Show interest in families. Available families can be filtered and ordered according to a range of geographical and other criteria, and approaches made to invite discussions.
  
• Invite interest from families. Issue child profiles to in-house families, or to external families according to geography, consortia and other criteria.
• Schedule profile visibility. According to the policy in each case, the visibility of child profiles can be automatically increased from, for example, in-house, to a small geographical area, to a larger area, at appropriate intervals. The sequence can be set to stop automatically when sufficient interest has been shown.
• Involve & support families. Social workers can share details with their families, and empower them to help identify suitable matches where appropriate. Families can be supported online by appropriate staff during family-finding and post-placement.
• Meet data protection obligations. All documents and messages are shared securely with local authorities and families, with information encrypted using the password of the intended recipient, and made available to them for only as long as it is needed. All data is managed by an ISO 27001 accredited organisaton and is hosted in the UK.
• Keep information up-to-date. All users can update their profiles and cases directly, in real time. Link Maker monitors all activity and intervenes directly with users by email and telephone whenever an update, or a user response, may be overdue.
  
• Manage cases flexibly. All users accounts are specific to individuals, so that cases can be shared between managers and social workers according to prevailing practice and policy in the organisation.
• Child-level reports. Instant reports can be run containing evidence of available families, and of family-finding activity conducted on behalf of a child or sibling group.
• Effective oversight. A range of user-level permissions can be applied, granting the ability to view activity against all cases and to run detailed activity reports.
• Plan ahead. Live data is always available, and can be aggregated regionally and nationally. Powerful reports and dashboards enable supply and demand to be monitored effectively, in real time.
• Online presence. Manage a customised, branded portal for staff and families from your organisation. This can bring together both family-finding and support, and can provide news and information, advertise and facilitate events, hold forums for practice discussion and peer support, and make family-finding profiles available to appropriate users.
• Collaborate. A comprehensive range of collaboration features for regional services and consortia are included.
  
• Readily available support. Unlimited online and telephone support for all users from 9-5pm, Monday-Friday
• Ongoing development. Nothing in children's social care stands still, and Link Maker's continuous development is shaped by feedback and suggestions from users.

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The commissioning features launched on 1st November 2016 - click here to get started during the free trial period

• Evaluate vacancies quickly. All in-house and external vacancies can be ordered according to how they may best match a child's specific needs, and filtered by requirements such as geography and required start dates.
• See the widest range of vacancies. All vacancies are instantly visible whether in-house, on a framework, or nationally. Whatever the criteria or level of need, there is no delay in accessing all options.
• Manage provider groups. Create custom groups of providers (including other local authorities) according to contract frameworks, or those providing specific services. Groups can then be used to filter available vacancies, or to define a range of providers to which a commissioning profile should be issued.
• Issue placement requests. Issue placement requests to any defined provider group or groups, and within tightly defined geographical criteria, instantly and securely. Deploy current documents and contact details more efficiently, or use the new universal commissioning profile.
• Schedule placement requests. According to the policy in each case, the issuing of commissioning profile can be automated to progress from, for example, in-house, to a framework, to any provider in a defined area, at appropriate intervals. The sequence can be set to stop automatically when sufficient placements have been offered.
• Reach all current providers. Placement requests can be issued to all providers with whom an authority works. Those not already using Link Maker would receive invitations by email to register for free in order to securely access placement requests that have been issued to them.
• Access off-contract placements. Where a vacancy from a different contract framework is of interest, details of the provider, including membership of other frameworks, are available so that options can be explored.
• Universal commissioning profile. Clear and complete information is captured including the purpose of the placement, the outcomes sought, the child's views, assessed risks, and when the placement is needed. The new form has been developed for Link Maker by Marie Tucker at CICADA Services, based on her research for ICHA into the use of placement request forms. The form will be kept under review to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the sector. An existing placement request form can be uploaded instead if preferred.
• Define response timescales. Request that placement offers are submitted by a specific date to allow consideration of options, negotiation of contracts and planning of the placement.
• Manage cases and tasks flexibly. All users accounts are specific to individuals, so that cases and tasks can be shared between managers, commissioners, placement officers and social workers according to prevailing practice and policy in the organisation.
• Meet data protection obligations. All documents and messages are shared securely with carers and external providers, with information encrypted using the password of the intended recipient, and made available to them for only as long as it is needed. Link Maker is ISO 27001 accredited and all data is hosted in the UK.
• Keep information up-to-date. All users can update their profiles and cases directly, in real time. Link Maker monitors all activity and intervenes directly with users by email and telephone whenever an update, or a user response, may be overdue.
• Effective oversight. A range of user-level permissions can be applied, granting the ability to view activity against all cases and to run detailed activity reports.
• Plan ahead. Live data is always available, and can be aggregated regionally and nationally. Powerful reports and dashboards enable supply and demand to be monitored effectively, in real time.
• Online presence. Manage a customised, branded portal for staff from your organisation. This can provide news and information, host resources, and hold forums for practice discussion.
• Collaborate. A comprehensive range of collaboration features for regional services and consortia are included.
• Readily available support. Unlimited online and telephone support for all users from 9-5pm, Monday-Friday
• Ongoing development. Nothing in children's social care stands still, and Link Maker's continuous development is shaped by feedback and suggestions from users.

Register free

The new commissioning features launched on 1st November 2016 for fostering providers and children's homes

• Receive new opportunities instantly. Receive alerts of new commissioning profiles that have been issued, potentially targeted by criteria such as framework membership or the location of available homes or families. Access full details securely online.
• Promote individual vacancies. List detailed specifications of each placement or family, including the needs that can be met, other children in the care-setting, relevant experience and training within the family / home, photographs, video, and the date from which a placement is available.
• Universal commissioning profile. Clear and complete information is captured including the purpose of the placement, the outcomes sought, the child's views, assessed risks, and when the placement is needed. The new form has been developed for Link Maker by Marie Tucker at CICADA Services, based on her research for ICHA into the use placement request forms.
• Search opportunities widely. Search for profiles of children for whom you may wish to offer a placement, including those from authorities with which you may not have an existing relationship. Profiles are ordered according to how well a vacancy may meet the needs of a child, and can be filtered by a range of criteria.
• Communicate effectively. Local authorities and providers contact each other directly regarding any potential placements through a secure and flexible system. All communication history is recorded against a case for future reference.
• Involve & support families. Share details with families, and empower them to help identify suitable matches where appropriate. Families can be supported online by appropriate staff during family-finding and post-placement.
• Meet data protection obligations. All documents and messages are shared securely with local authorities and families, with information encrypted using the password of the intended recipient, and made available to them for only as long as it is needed. All data is managed by an ISO 27001 accredited organisaton and is hosted in the UK.
• Keep information up-to-date. All users can update their profiles and cases directly, in real time. Link Maker monitors all activity and intervenes directly with users by email and telephone whenever an update, or a user response, may be overdue.
  
• Manage cases flexibly. All users accounts are specific to individuals, so that cases can be shared between managers, placements officers and social workers according to prevailing practice and policy in the organisation. Delays and inefficiencies caused by annual leave and staff turnover can be minimised.
• Effective oversight. A range of user-level permissions can be applied, granting the ability to view activity against all cases and to run detailed activity reports.
• Plan ahead. Live data is always available, and can be aggregated regionally and nationally. Powerful reports and dashboards enable supply and demand to be monitored effectively, in real time.
• Online presence. Manage a customised, branded portal for staff and families from your organisation. This can provide news and information, advertise and facilitate events, hold forums for practice discussion and peer support.
• Collaborate. A comprehensive range of collaboration features for regional services and consortia are included.
• Readily available support. Unlimited online and telephone support for all users from 9-5pm, Monday-Friday
• Ongoing development. Nothing in children's social care stands still, and Link Maker's continuous development is shaped by feedback and suggestions from users.

Register free

• Work with social workers in identifying children that families would like to be matched with, whether nationally or from their own local authority or consortium.
• Build support networks in a uniquely safe environment. Chat with others, arrange playdates, and join family-led-led groups.
• Access support from practitioners on the Q&A, or via agency areas hosted by local authorities, independent agencies or regional services.

Register free