NASSAU, The Bahamas – The Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development continued its push towards the digitization of its services with the Beta Testing of the ProMis App – a Management Information System (MIS) that is expected to provide social services representatives with the tools to organize, evaluate and efficiently manage clients within their portfolios.

The system also allows for the evaluation and monitoring of cases of sexual exploitation and abuse at the touch of a button throughout the client's lifetime, in addition to simultaneously allowing for the in-house printing of food coupons. Social Services representatives have been tasked with manually writing over two thousand coupons a month in the past.

With full inter-operability (the ability of computer systems or software to exchange and make use of information), ProMis will also be able to share and exchange information with other key partners in Government, in addition to the private sector.

Appearing on the Wake Up Bahamas Show on 104.5FM ZNS Bahamas (Wednesday, April 29), Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell, said officials at the Ministry and the Department of Social Services were “very mindful” of the need to look at the way services was being rendered; the way requests were being processed; the importance of being able to be connected on every island and here in New Providence, and ensuring that the quality of the service is unified prior to the presence of the COVID-19 Pandemic in The Bahamas.

“And so there were thoughts, there were ideas, there was work in progress prior to its presence in The Bahamas. COVID-19, however, caused us to realize that we could not use the usual pace; that we had to stop jogging towards this advancement and improvement. The implementation of the ProMis System will ensure a sprint toward the finish in that regard.”

Minister Campbell said officials dubbed the System, ProMis, because it promises to ensure that Social Services personnel are able to track clients: “From the time they make contact with us, to the time we help them, to no longer needing our assistance. That is the promise of this system.”

“This System promises that in real time, we will be able to observe the work of our team members in every island and be able to have input and to render the requisite assistance. Rather than waiting for Reports to come in, Supervisors and Managers who have the requisite access will be able to go in and see what is happening and perhaps intervene, if necessary, to address a matter more efficiently and effectively.

“The System also promises to alleviate frustration on the part of the client and on the part of the service provider and so it will free up a lot of our staff to focus on the actual delivery of requests as opposed to the long time it has taken to process the requests and to determine eligibility and to try and keep track of documents. Sometimes members of the public become frustrated because they are asked to produce the same document multiple times. ProMis promises that once they do that once, we have got it and we will just be building on the relationship,” Minister Campbell added.

Minister Campbell said more than 7,000 persons applied online during the Beta Testing Process.

“This system is being designed to accommodate and facilitate every service that we offer. As it relates to the special food assistance that would have been announced a few weeks ago by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance (the Hon. K. Peter Turnquest) for persons in the tourism sector who were placed on reduced work days, we have had in excess of 7,000 persons going online and applying.

"However, in processing, we found that there were more than 700 duplications and that a significant number of persons were not eligible for that particular programme and were referred.

"What it said was that persons were happy that there is an avenue that allowed them to approach us without actually having to come to any centre and so it tells me that our clients, the Bahamian public, are anxiously awaiting a programme such as this; are anxiously awaiting what ProMis will deliver.”

The System, which will initially be utilized to facilitate requests for special food assistance from those persons in the hospitality industry who have been placed on reduced workdays, can be accessed online at socialservicesapp@bahamas.gov.bs. Once that is done, a digital application form will appear. Applicants can then complete the online application. Space has been dedicated to attach copies of their passport, NIB Smart Card and Job Letter – which are requirements.

Officials say once the form is completed with all of the necessary and required attaching documents and the send button keyed, the application is ready to be processed. Officials are also working with local vendors to make the coupons available digitally.