Education CommitteeFurther written evidence submitted by Dame Clare Tickell, Action for Children

I am aware that the Education Committee is drawing its inquiry on Foundation Years: Sure Start Children’s Centres to a close. I know that the issue of data sharing has regularly featured in the evidence sessions that have taken place. I thought it would be helpful to build on these discussions, as well as Action for Children’s written and oral evidence, and provide further insight from our own Children’s Centres on this specific issue.

Children’s Centres are not just services. They are the conduit for how, as a society, we protect children, support families and enable them to grow. However, poor data sharing is preventing Children’s Centres from fulfilling their potential. To intervene early and reach out to children and families we need to know where they are.

Essentially Children’s Centres need data on live births, with other data requirements stripped back. This would provide the information on where children are living in their area and enable connections to be established beyond the most visible families.

A recent survey of over a hundred of our Children’s Centres found that nearly 70% are experiencing problems accessing this basic data. Age-old problems around confusion over data protection rules and poor data-sharing protocols persist. I know of areas where health colleagues say that data protection rules mean that they can not share birth data. Stretched resources for inter-agency working are also causing problems. For example, in one area midwives are saying that maintaining such systems are too resource intensive. In addition, clashing geographical and organisational boundaries, where Children’s Centres are split across district and health areas, are making it even more difficult to share information.

Ineffective data sharing is having a negative impact on our Children’s Centres’ ability to identify vulnerable children and families. It causes delay in services reaching those that need support, especially in terms of earl help. Children’s Centres are spending unnecessary resources on trying to find vulnerable children and families themselves. There is also a reliance on partners to share information that Children’s Centres should be given systematically.

Although the majority reported problems with data sharing, 32% of our Children’s Centres surveyed do have effective data sharing. Reasons for this include effective local arrangements set up with health and local authority and regular meetings and good relationships with health visitors and midwives. Our Children’s Centre leaders tell me that effective data sharing has resulted in improved early identification of children’s needs and circumstances which increases centres’ ability to deliver appropriate, early help to the families that need it the most.

It is clear that data sharing is a crucial component to enable Children’s Centres to identify and reach out to vulnerable children and families. I believe that Government must step in and place a duty on NHS Trusts to make sure that all Children’s Centres are given local birth data. The installation of birth registrations in Children’s Centres is an interesting idea, but ultimately birth data is the key.

Action for Children is supporting the data sharing amendments to the Children and Families Bill and hope that the Education Committee will make a clear recommendation on this in its final report.

I would like to thank you once again for giving us the opportunity to contribute to such an important and timely inquiry. Please do not hesitate to get in touch should you require any further information or contribution.

October 2013