Ghana pushes forward with digital child maintenance tool integration to strengthen social welfare system

The Office of the Head of the Local Government Service (OHLGS), in collaboration with the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies at the University of Essex, UK, and the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development (DSWCD), convened a one-day workshop on Friday, July 11, 2025, in Accra.

The aim was to explore embedding the Child Maintenance Assessment Tool (CMAT) into the national Social Welfare Information Management System (SWIMS) to improve child protection case management across Ghana.

Delivering the keynote address, Brian Tsikor, Acting Director of the Research, Statistics, and Information Management Directorate of the OHLGS, emphasised the urgent need to enhance support systems for children, women, and vulnerable groups.

He praised the initiative’s focus on integrating CMAT with SWIMS as a step toward digitalizing social protection and strengthening data-informed decision-making at the district level.

"The integration of CMAT into SWIMS will not only ensure better data availability but will also empower social workers with tools tailored to their operational realities," Tsikor noted.

The theme for the workshop, “Exploring the potential of embedding the child maintenance assessment tool (CMAT) into a national web-based case management system” highlights the need for unified systems and collaborative efforts between stakeholders to deliver comprehensive social protection.

Kingsley Owusu, National Systems Administrator for SWIMS, addressed the operational and financial sustainability of the system.

He outlined how SWIMS currently functions, noting that cases follow social workers as they are transferred between districts, ensuring continuity in service delivery.

Owusu stressed that while UNICEF has provided substantial support for the digital system including training, internet support, and infrastructure social workers and assemblies must now take ownership of sustaining SWIMS.

"Even if UNICEF support ends, social workers must continue entering cases. You are already doing this with limited support, and that shows resilience," he said.

He encouraged assemblies to embed SWIMS-related activities into their annual action plans and budgets.

"Streams [SWIMS] is the national source of data for social welfare. If you want credible data on case management in Ghana, this is where to find it,” he added.

Abena Dufie Akonu-Atta, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation at the Department of Social Welfare and National Case Manager for SWIMS, explained the origins of the CMAT tool.

She said it was developed from research examining the gaps in case management related to child maintenance.

"Social workers found that existing tools were too generalized. The CMAT provides focused, straightforward questions that help assess a parent's financial ability and responsibilities, especially in complex situations involving multiple households," she explained.

Abena emphasised that the CMAT, once embedded into SWIMS, will make it easier for social workers to assess, track, and manage child maintenance cases with specificity, ultimately leading to better outcomes for children.

Peter, a representative from the Local Government Service, echoed this by pointing out that social welfare services are now part of district performance contracts and will eventually be incorporated into district development plans, thus requiring local governments to provide support.

Social workers from districts across the country welcomed the CMAT integration, citing its user-friendly design and relevance to their daily work.

"The current SOPs scatter child maintenance issues. This new tool helps narrow it down and makes our work more efficient," said Abigail Teye, a social worker from Adentan Municipal Assembly.

Another participant, Alhassan Mumuni from the Ayawaso North Municipal Assembly, stressed the importance of parental responsibility and said the tool helps initiate more direct conversations with clients about financial obligations and child welfare.

The workshop concluded with a call to action for all stakeholders’ development partners, local governments, and social workers to invest in sustaining SWIMS and fully integrate CMAT.

Participants agreed that while donor support remains vital, local ownership and government budgeting are key to long-term success.

The workshop reinforced Ghana’s commitment to digital transformation in social welfare service delivery and marked a significant step toward ensuring that children receive the support they deserve in a structured and accountable system.

The research informing this initiative is being conducted by Dr Ebenezer Cudjoe (University of Essex); Dr Yu Zhao (University of Essex); Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Manso and Dr Alhassan Abdullah (Charles Sturt University).

AM/KA

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