Angela Geylswyk, Head of the Risk and Compliance Team at Early Childhood Management Services (ECMS), shares how 1Place helped them transition from a paper-based system to a more efficient, paperwork-free process. You can find both the video recording of the interview and the full transcript below. Enjoy!

Can you tell us who you are and what you do for ECMS, please?

My name is Angela Gelswick, and I’m currently the head of the Risk and Compliance team at the Early Childhood Management Services (ECMS). The Risk and Compliance team supports our services in a range of areas, including incident management, risk response and management, regulatory compliance, and general child safety.

Could you tell us what challenges or issues you and the team were facing prior to using 1Place, and how were those issues impacting the team and the organisation?

When I came on board a couple of years ago, we were using a cumbersome paper-based system for recording and managing incidents at our services. We also had paper-based systems for auditing, daily checks, and emergency management plans (EMPs). This process was time-consuming for both our team and operational service levels. Educators had to fill out paper forms, scan them, and email them to us. We then had to do a lot of administrative work to file and register those reports, and report them to the Department of Education if necessary. It was a long process with many steps and it was difficult to have visibility of data related to incidents and other items. Spreadsheets were cumbersome to use for data analysis.

What made you decide to try 1Place?

We wanted to introduce an online platform to manage our incidents and other tasks. We were looking for a versatile platform that could be used for various activities. We asked around our networks, did some Google searching, and met with a few providers. We were impressed with 1Place, particularly after meeting with Martin and learning about the platform’s capabilities. We appreciated the support that would be provided for implementation and the fact that it could integrate with our Kidsoft program. We also heard good reports from other users of the system.

How did you first put 1Place to use?

We wanted to identify tasks that services and educators completed regularly but not necessarily daily. We knew it would take time for educators to become familiar with the system, so we didn’t want to overwhelm them. We selected child incidents to be reported on 1Place first. We then rolled out the system, sought feedback, and tested the forms and templates. It didn’t take long for people to feel confident using the system, and we’ve since rolled out other uses on the platform.

What changes or improvements have you noticed since starting with 1Place?

We’ve been able to introduce a variety of activities onto the system, including facilities and maintenance ticketing, complaints and feedback, parent surveys, risk assessment templates, third-party contractor management, and work health safety incident reporting. Educators and services appreciate having 1Place for documentation and recording. The system is intuitive and user-friendly, and once they learn how to do one task, they can easily learn others. It has reduced administrative time at both the service operational level and support services level. The ability to set up workflows and automated emails is very helpful. We can now easily collate and submit documents to the Department of Education. Additionally, we now have a year of data that we can analyze to see what story it tells us.

How has the support from the 1Place team been throughout the implementation process and in addressing any challenges you’ve faced?

I really wanted to express how supportive and helpful the 1Place team has been. There are always some teething issues with system implementations, but the team has been fantastic. They’ve been responsive and worked hard to understand and solve any challenges we faced. I can’t speak highly enough of the support provided.

Have questions?

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