About half of Staten Island testers (49%) reported using the laptop in the field on average for 2.74 hours a week compared to roughly 35% of Manhattan testers using it on average for 1.88 hours a week. Caseworkers reported using the laptop when taking public transportation, outside of a clients home, in a hospital, and at coffee shops in between appointments.

In terms of issues that affect the use of the laptop in the field, technical difficulties with establishing and maintaining the connection as well as the speed of connection were important. Approximately 65 % of testers in Staten Island reported establishing a connection problematic, 74% reported loss of connection as problematic, and about 80% reported speed of connection as problematic.

Graph 3 - Problems Using the Laptop in the Field

In Manhattan, 40 % of caseworkers reported establishing a connection as a problem (but a similar proportion, 42 % perceive it as not a problem). Likewise, 47 % reported loss of connection as problematic (but almost 50 % do not see it as a problem or are neutral). About half of Manhattan testers reported speed of connection as problematic.

Work environment factors such as privacy and physical danger are perceived differently than technical issues. Almost two-thirds of the workers in both field offices did not perceive lack of privacy as a problem in the field. However, perceptions of personal safety did differ. In Manhattan, a larger proportion of testers (20 %) felt like they were in danger using the laptop in the field compared to 6 % of testers in Staten Island. Unlike Staten Island where fear for personal safety did not seem to come up almost at all during the workshops, nearly every caseworker in Manhattan stated that fearing for personal safety was one of the main reasons why they did not carry their laptop in the field. They felt that having an expensive piece of equipment would make them even a bigger target, in addition to being CPS caseworkers. One caseworker recalled being asked by a client how much would her computer cost and she reported that it made her feel very uncomfortable and she never brought the laptop again.

The perception of having small blocks of time out in the field to use the laptop was split among testers. About half in both field offices reported that having small blocks of time was not a problem in using the laptop, while the others were unsure or considered it problematic.

Manhattan testers noted during workshops and interviews on several occasions that “the field” was not conducive to working on a laptop. Several mentioned the lack of suitable locations in which one feels comfortable. Some stated they try to schedule their appointments back-to-back to minimize the time they have to spend in some parts of the city due to security concerns, and thus do not have time to stop to use the laptop in between appointments. Several caseworkers reported during the workshop that they kept the laptop at home unless they knew that they were going to court that day. In addition, many reported that they will not use the laptop in a client’s home. They said that during this time they try to establish a rapport and make a connection with the family. Although some did say that for appointments with professionals at schools, hospitals and police stations, they would consider using the laptop during the meeting.