Swansea Council Transforms Social Services Reporting with a Custom Microsoft Power App

Overview

Swansea Council is the local government body for the City and County of Swansea in Wales, serving a population of over 250,000. As the second most populous local authority in Wales, it is responsible for a wide range of services, including education, social services, housing, and environmental health.  

The council’s social services commissioning team manages contracts and funding from the Welsh Government and other sources. They needed a management information system to streamline the collection and reporting of data and budget from the various projects. This would help demonstrate the impact the service was having on the children, young people and families in Swansea as well as to help to secure future funding.  

To address this, Swansea Council commissioned Simpson Associates to develop a custom-built Microsoft Power App. This new digital solution has simplified and modernised the team’s processes by providing a single, intuitive platform for all performance and budget information. The project’s success has not only improved the team’s efficiency but has also empowered their partners and given the council the control needed to ensure their funding has a tangible, positive impact on the community.  

Problem

 Before the new system, Swansea Council relied on an old Microsoft Access database.   

 

The previous Microsoft Access Database presented several key pain points and challenges:  

• Microsoft Access was being phased out by Swansea Council, therefore a new solution was required.
  
• Manual and Time-Consuming Processes: The team spent a significant amount of time manually gathering and collating quarterly performance and budget data from over 20 different organisations. Data was submitted on individual Excel RBA (Results Based Accountability) spreadsheets for three key areas, Capacity and Demand, Master Stats, and Quarterly Narrative, which were then checked and manually entered by staff.  
  
• Disconnected Data: Performance and financial information were managed separately and could not be compared. This therefore made it difficult to get a complete, holistic view of each project’s progress, such as comparing the number of clients served against the funding received.  
  
• Lack of Flexibility: The original system was rigid and changes to reporting requirements, such as adding new funding streams, projects, or data fields, required a developer to make coding changes, often causing delays.  

Solution

Simpson Associates developed a tailored Microsoft Power App to address these issues, creating a streamlined and secure system.  

• Self-Service Data Input: The new app allows project organisations to directly input their data, eliminating the need for manual collation by the commissioning team. This gives them a sense of ownership and frees up the council’s time for higher-level data analysis.  
  
• Enhanced Flexibility: The new system gives the team the ability to easily add or change reporting fields and budget sheets without relying on external developers. This flexibility ensures that they can quickly adapt to evolving reporting requirements.  
  
• Robust Security: The new app adheres to the council’s strict security standards, with a specific security group managed by the IT team to ensure that only authorised users have access.  
  
• Intuitive Design: The user-friendly interface is accessible and easy for both internal staff and external project partners to navigate, with a responsive design which works across various devices.  

Conclusion

The success of this project goes beyond the efficiency gains. The new system is more than just a data management tool; it is a strategic asset. It gives the Swansea Council’s Commissioning Team the data control and analytical power they need to demonstrate its impact to the Welsh Government, ensure projects are meeting their goals, and ultimately, secure future funding to make a tangible, positive difference in the community.