The digital transformation of Perth Archdiocese’s record management processes, spurred on by a commitment to safeguarding, has won global recognition. Source: The eRecord.
The Archdiocese of Perth won the 2024 Tom Wayman Digital Transformation Leader of the Year Award by Laserfiche, a global SaaS platform company, as part of their Run Smarter Awards program.
This marks the first time such recognition has been bestowed upon an Australian organisation (since the awards began in 2005).
Archdiocesan Archives and Information Governance Office director Odhran O’Brien said the archdiocese’s records, stretching back to the 1840s, were heavily paper based and made it difficult to access important information easily and securely to support its vital safeguarding work.
“The need for a digital transformation of the Archdiocese’s record keeping and information governance was accelerated with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse,” Mr O’Brien said.
“The commission published an entire volume of recommendations on record keeping best practices and true to the archdiocese’s commitment to embrace the report, a decision was taken to find a more efficient method for managing information.”
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB emphasised his congratulations to Mr O’Brien and his team.
“I am very proud of how we as an archdiocese have prioritised this important initiative,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
“Thank you to Laserfiche for this recognition of the Archdiocese’s collaborative work and dedication towards using technology for good and for safeguarding our local and wider communities,” he said.
Two technology platforms were identified and implemented by the Archdiocese, as part of their digital transformation strategy, rolled out in 2020. Over four years, the Archdiocese has been able to transition from a largely paper-based system to a digital organisation.
Mr O’Brien said the Professional Standards Office was an early adopter of the new records management system. The system has been useful for the office when investigating complaints, as it allows the office to cross-reference details and undertake more comprehensive searches across the organisation.
Perth Archdiocese will continue to implement Laserfiche and other interconnected technologies across all Western Australia dioceses, with a view to automating records management and information governance processes in the next five to ten years.
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Perth Archdiocese awarded global digital transformation recognition (The eRecord)
