Iesha Hasich is holding peace of mind in the palm of her hand.

She knows that wherever work takes her, cutting-edge technology is keeping her safe.

Iesha is among more than 400 frontline workers who use Centacare’s Worker Security Application to track their whereabouts out in the field each day.

The first of its kind in South Australia, the fully automated app directly connects staff to management and, if needed, emergency support, via real-time monitoring.

Iesha is a Family Worker with Kids in Focus and uses the app to log her home visits to vulnerable families living in the north.

The app’s Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system enables her to enter information on the go via her mobile phone, including her destination location and estimated time of arrival and departure.

At the end of each appointment, an automated outbound IVR call is made to Iesha, asking her to confirm she has safely completed her home visit.

Staff need just a mobile signal – not a data connection or even a smart phone – to receive this call. If they are out of mobile range, the system automatically re-dials.

If a worker’s safety cannot be confirmed in three phone calls, their status is immediately escalated to management via outbound IVR and email alerts until it is known.

“It’s easy to use and if I forget to sign out, I get a call, so it reminds me to check in and confirm I’m ok,’’ Iesha says.

“If appointments do go longer, I know I have that back-up and that someone will be checking on me.’’

In 2018/19, the WSA logged 16,576 home visits.  The app is also used widely by regional staff to log their route when travelling over large distances.

“I always feel reassured when I respond to WSA calls and am able to speak directly with a staff member to ensure they are safe, and to determine what supports they require,’’ says Leanne Haddad, Executive Manager, Children’s Services.

“It makes me think of the numerous high risk home visits I attended over my child protection career with no WSA. There was genuine fear about walking into the unknown with no safety net.

“WSA is a crucial part of ensuring worker wellbeing and safety is at the forefront of quality practice.’’

The app was developed with Microsoft solutions partner, Geomant.

Centacare has procured the intellectual property for the app in the hope of offering the service to other organisations.

“It’s the most important thing we do for our staff because we know where they are, and if they don’t check in, we’ll be able to find them,’’ says Dominic Reppucci, Executive Manager of IT & Infrastructure.