Dictionary

Action or process of identifying a person (cf. “authentication”). In its initial occurrence, it typically involves the assignation of an identity number (which is often unique) and the issuance of an identity credential which, alone or with the support of some other authentication factor (e.g., biometrics), is subsequently used to prove or authenticate a person’s identity.

Attribute, or set of attributes, that uniquely describe(s) a subject within a given context.

Ability to determine with a degree of certainty—or level of assurance (LoA)—that a claim to a particular identity made by some person or entity can be trusted to actually be the claimant’s “true” identity.

Process of establishing that a subject is who he or she claims to be.

When individuals, families, or households are referred to the system (CMIS) by another system with electronic means (files import or interoperability), their registration (intake) in the system is indirect. Please also see Direct registration.

Also referred to as a service plan, family action plan, mutual responsibilities agreement, or personal progression plan, it is an agreement between a caseworker and beneficiary that typically includes a summary of the individual assessment including profiling results; goals and agreed steps toward the goals; benefits (if any); the list of services assigned or referred; required actions and commitments of both parties (the beneficiary and the caseworker); rules and procedures regarding sanctions for noncompliance with required actions; beneficiary rights and responsibilities; and information on grievance redress mechanism (GRM) procedures. During the enrollment onboarding phase, the IAP would be signed by both the beneficiary and the caseworker.

Data becomes “information” when analyzed and possibly combined with other data in order to extract meaning and to provide context.

At the most basic level, the service provider or a virtual platform provides information and orientation to the client about the other services and benefits generally available.

The practice of defending electronic or physical information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, perusal, inspection, recording, or destruction. Information security relates to the preservation of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information, in addition to other properties such as authenticity, accountability, nonrepudiation and reliability (ISO/IEC 27000:2009). Information security ensures that only authorized users (confidentiality) have access to accurate and complete information (integrity) when required (availability).

Mechanisms that allow for information exchange vary significantly according to the type of content and the degree of information technology (IT) development. Efficient sharing of information would avoid duplications in information gathering efforts and support coordinated actions for the benefit of the client, at all stages of the service provision.

Source: Sourcebook on the Foundations of Social Protection Delivery Systems

or

A discrete set of information resources, such as personnel, equipment, funds, and information technology, organized for the collection, processing, maintenance, use, sharing, dissemination, or disposition of information. & Interdependent groups of elements that function together to accomplish some predefined goal (or to solve an organizational problem) by collecting, organizing, storing, processing, creating, and distributing information. To accomplish that goal, an information system makes use of a variety of system elements, namely, the following:

• Database. A large organized collection of information that is accessed via software.
• Documentation. Manuals, forms, and other descriptive information that portray the use and/or operation of the system.
• Hardware. A comprehensive term for electronic and electromechanical devices that comprise the physical parts of a computer. The internal parts of a computer (CPU, hard drive, RAM) are referred to as components and the external parts (mouse, keyboard, printers, scanners) are referred to as peripherals.
• People. Users or operators of elements of the system.
• Procedures. The steps that define the specific use of each system element or the procedural context in which the system resides.
• Software. Characterized by (1) a set of machine-readable instructions (lines of code) that when executed provide desired features, functions, and performance; (2) data structures that enable the instructions to manipulate information; and (3) descriptive information in both hard copy and virtual forms that describe the operation and use of the instructions. Application software are stand-alone programs that solve a specific business need. Such applications process business and technical data in a way that facilitates business operations or management/technical decision making.

Source: Sourcebook on the Foundations of Social Protection Delivery Systems

Any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information by the executive agency

A type of treatment provided to an individual in a formal residential environment by an institute, other family, or other organized form aiming at providing care services (social or health services).

The process of initiating contact, engaging with the client(s), and gathering information for the purposes of assessing their needs and conditions for potential eligibility for benefits or services. The point of entry may be via a specific program or a multiprogram access point (such as a social welfare agency, public employment service, or social registry). The case compass team distinguishes two categories of intake (also known as “registration”): the direct intake and the indirect.

A framework that integrates all of an organization's systems and processes, enabling an organization to work as a single unit with unified objective. It links information across different services/systems and integrates information across agencies for a given user.

Integration and interoperability are often conflated, but they mean two different things. Integration is the process of linking independently designed applications to work together as one system, so that the data contained in each becomes part of a larger, more comprehensive system that quickly and easily shares data when needed. Integration also enables access to data and functionality from such independent applications through a single interface or service.

The group of individuals, families, or households who are meant to be included as potential beneficiaries of a program. Also referred to as a "target group."

An integrated service-provision approach used in both labor and social services. Intermediation is a service in its own right—and it also connects people (workers) to other services. It is the process of informing clients about a range of benefits and services relevant to their needs, and directing them to the corresponding access point, based on agreed protocols with service provider agencies, sometimes with individualized action plans (IAPs), to help them overcome multiple socioeconomic barriers. Intermediation connects the demand and supply of social or labor services. The role of the mediator (social caseworker or public employment officer) is to correctly identify the needs of the participant (demand side—through risk screening and profiling) and then to identify the availability of services and service providers (supply side) and then connect them with referrals and counter-referrals (monitoring and follow-up) on the basis of an action plan, protocols, service contracts, and service standards.

The ability of organizations to interact toward mutually beneficial goals, involving the sharing of information and knowledge between organizations, through the business processes they support, by means of exchange of data with other systems using common standards.Interoperability also includes the ability of systems to provide and receive services from other systems and to use the services so interchanged to enable them to operate effectively together.

An agreed approach for interoperability for organizations that wish to work together toward the joint delivery of public services (without having to integrate all of their subsystems into one large system).