COMPUTERIZED DECISION TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIAL SERVICE: DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM IMPROVES DECISION PRACTICE IN YOUTH PROBATION SERVICE

This presentation describes the successful application of computerized information technology, known as a Decision Support System (DSS), to making decisions regarding dispositions by Youth Probation Officers in the Jerusalem Probation Service. It concentrates on the specific characteristics of DSS that make it especially applicable for improving clinical decisions, and on the strategies involved in designing, developing and installing the system so that it suits the working routine of the Probation Service. The description of how the DSS works in our case is followed by an analysis of results, i.e., of the consequences of the system's installation in terms of changes in performance of the decision task by professionals and the changes that this causes on the organizational level. Finally, we shall attempt to use our experience to derive some general guidelines for designing and implementing similar decision aids in other human service organizations.