9.3.1 Case Management
The following questions can be used to determine whether information systems are being used for case management information.
Checklist: Is the Information System Supporting Case Management?√ Has a database been established to collect internal administrative data on the case load?
√ Have staff been trained on the use of the database, and can they train other staff in a train-the-trainer format?
√ Does the NHRI issue internal reports with caseload information on how many complaints were received, how many resolved, and on outcomes, disaggregated by ground, type of complaint and region?
√ Are internal reports used to manage, control and evaluate the investigation process?
√ Is the database for case management updated in "real time"?
√ Is the database used to identify trends and identify policy issues as they arise?
√ Do the priority areas in the case load correspond with and reflect the major human rights issues in the country?
√ Can the data base produce reliable, comprehensive and comprehensible statistics on programme performance generally and on a disaggregated basis i.e. by selected traits (geographic location of complaint; type of complaint; respondent; resolution; etc.)?
Negative answers to these questions frequently result in scenarios like the following one:
You are the UNDP manager for a project that is helping to establish an NHRI and the organization has been operating for two years. The project has provided for a project officer who is located with the NHRI.
You have been asked by your supervisor to support the writing of a UNCT report on the effectiveness of the NHRI in the context of an evaluation. You need a list of the types of complaints that the NHRI is dealing with, and a summary of how well these cases are being handled (an aged cases report for example, and standard processing times), as well as results and recommendations in each category of cases.
You contact the NHRI project officer to request the information. After some time, you are told that it will take a few weeks because the registrar will have to collect the cases by hand and she is busy on something else now.
If this happens, it is a clear sign that there is no adequate system in place or that the registrar and investigations director are not performing their functions well. If the UNCT is requested to provide support, reinforcing the information system, or creating one, and improving staff performance through specific measures are a priority area.
Data for Research on ESC and development-related rights:
Even at the consolidation phase, it is not unusual to see that many NHRIs:
- Do not develop long-term objectives regarding priority areas to monitor in development and ESC rights.
- Have difficulties developing research programmes.
The capacity to identify progress in rights protection at the broader country level depends on (1) the existence of valid and repeating socioeconomic data, and (2) access to such data. As noted earlier, this is especially true for development-related rights such as ESC rights. Although it may be done earlier, it is usually during the consolidation stage that such data is developed, along with supporting information systems for data management. Some strategies and ideas for improving data and information systems are to assess whether:
- The NHRI has gathered information from UN Treaty Bodies or other reports noting gaps in rights protection related to development?
- The NHRI is using country-level data and MDGs to track progress towards the MDGs?
- The internal database can generate disaggregated data on the selected issues, and if the data actually being produced and analysed?
As noted in Chapters 5 and 8, some of these data may be obtained through UN agencies (especially data in relation to the Millennium Development Goals), the World Bank, and the OSCE, using international indices already in existence (such as the Human Development Index) to compare progress and set benchmarks. NHRIs can compare this data with their own internal statistical information to help it assess whether its own caseload reflects the national situation. UNCTs in turn should be using this data for their own analysis of the NHRI's effectiveness in dealing with human rights priorities in the country.