Florida Auditor General

Department of Children and Family Services HomeSafenet Information Technology Audit For the Period July 1994 Through May 2002

HomeSafenet is a child welfare and client management information system being developed by the Department of Children and Family Services (Department). Funding for the development of HomeSafenet originated in the 1994-95 fiscal year. As of the completion of our field work, an estimated 10% of the planned functionality of HomeSafenet was operational, with continued system development planned through June 2005. The Department reported to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) for Federal reimbursement the actual cost of HomeSafenet development and implementation through March 2002 to be approximately $89.8 million. As of July 2001, the Department projected a total system cost of$230.1 million in its HomeSafenet Project Analysis document.

This audit of HomeSafenet focuses on evaluating selected aspects of the Departments development and implementation of HomeSafenet during the period July 1994 through May 2002. The objectives were to determine the progress of the HomeSafenet implementation and the adequacy of the Departments procedures, records, and documentation, and to determine if Federal and State requirements for a child welfare system are sufficiently addressed by HomeSafenet. In addition, we reviewed the reasonableness of projected and actual costs for the development, implementation, and maintenance of HomeSafenet, evaluated the effectiveness of project management controls and practices, reviewed the suitability of the technical platform of HomeSafenet, and reviewed the progress made by the Department in implementing recommendations provided by special project monitors for improving management of the HomeSafenet project.