Case Study: Oberstown Children Detention Campus achieves streamlined rostering, HR and absence management with Softworks

How Oberstown Children Detention Campus is using Softworks to manage employee rosters, HR, absences & holidays

Oberstown Children Detention Campus is Ireland’s national facility providing secure care, education and rehabilitation for young people aged 12–18. Operating 24/7 with 270 staff across 20 departments and seven residential units, Oberstown faced highly complex rostering needs — managing 40 base rosters and 50 variants — that were being handled manually via spreadsheets, requiring a full‑time resource to keep shift patterns, leave, swaps and emergency notes up to date.

After a proof‑of‑concept evaluation Softworks was selected and deployed (rostering, employee self‑service, absence/holiday tracking, HR, timesheets, training and reporting). The system centralised data, enabled real‑time reporting, simplified leave and skills management, reduced manual administration and improved roster planning. The campus met its project objectives, staff embraced self‑service for checking rosters and booking leave, and feedback from managers has been strongly positive.

Oberstown Children Detention Campus

Tom Gannon

Oberstown Children Detention Campus