A software application used to record restoring family links (RFL) cases and services to make it easy to track, manage, and share information within National Societies, with other National Societies, and with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Familylinks Answers – ‘Application for National Societies for Worldwide Enquiry and RFL services’ – based on Microsoft Dynamics Customer Relationship Manager platform, is developed, supported and maintained by the ICRC. It is part of a wider programme, led by the ICRC, to reinforce the Family Links Network with new information and telecommunication tools (ICT) and provide support to National Societies.
Familylinks Answers, is a case management system supporting the RFL services of the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Familylinks Answers serves as an instrument to reinforce the follow-up of RFL cases, and therefore enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, reliability, rapidity and coherence of the Family Links Network services to our beneficiaries. In addition, it serves as a standard tool to be deployed in emergency situations, in particular in disasters.
Familylinks Answers is highly customisable, rich in functionality, secure, and easy to learn and use. Upon each deployment it is adapted to the National Society’s RFL services, criteria, processes and procedures. Current implementation includes English, French and Spanish languages, with Russian to be introduced by the end of 2016. It also enables National Societies to draw in-depth analysis, statistics and charts.
The implementation began in 2013 with a successful pilot deployment and integration to two National Societies – Swedish Red Cross and Belgian Red Cross-Flanders. To date Familylinks Answers has been deployed to 23 National Societies, with an objective to further deploy to 30 National Societies by the end of 2017.
- Sensitivity of tracing information that requires adequate data protection policies and procedures
- Each National Society has its own criteria, processes and procedures to deliver RFL services to beneficiaries, to which Familylinks Answers needs to adapt, while maintaining the Family Links Network coherence
Formal lessons learned will be conducted at the end of 2016.
