Children’s database should cover Northern Ireland and Wales

The government’s proposed database to hold information on
11 million children should be extended to cover Scotland and
Northern Ireland, a Labour party conference policy seminar heard
today, writes Maria Ahmed from the
conference.
 

Colin Reid, Northern Ireland policy adviser at the NSPCC said it
would be “folly” for the government to create a system
only covering England and Wales.

Children’s minister Beverley Hughes told the seminar that
“no final decision” had yet been taken about including
Northern Ireland and Scotland in the database.

But while she admitted that the movement of children “did
not respect national boundaries”, she hinted at
“difficulties” in expanding the database.

Hughes also told the seminar run by the children’s charity
that the database alone would not “solve the problem”
of the lack of inter-agency working unless staff were properly
trained to use it.

 

 

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