Search

This dissertation explores the impact of information systems (IS) on the everyday practice of child welfare specialists. The analysis of this socio-technical phenomenon is based on the theory of Actor-Network Theory, proposed by B. Latour as an alternative to the theoretical approaches influenced by social constructivism. Under this framework, a new radical interpretation of sociality embracing the non-human world is suggested that allows gaining extensive and novel insight into the conceptualization of human-made technologies. The ethnographic data was gathered through the use of qualitative and quantitative methods: 21 in-depth interviews with child welfare specialists, 18 participatory observation sessions of their interactions with IS, and an online survey with 242 staff members. The results revealed that a lack of specific functions or their fragmented functioning in IS often diverts the attention of specialists from direct work with clients. Some IS functionalities, such as the function of registering the intermediate result may convert the evidence-based practice into a practice which requires proof of the specialists’ engagement (i.e., non-idleness). Additionally, the types of information and the way it is structured within IS may affect specialists’ decision-making and bias towards the clients. Thus, the improvement of IS depends on the efforts of managers to engage a variety of human and non-human actors in the IS improvement process.