Information is worth nothing without analysis and action, experts told delegates at Community Care Live Children and Families today, writes Lauren Revans.
Speaking at a main plenary session at the conference in London, Penny Thompson, former executive director of social services at Sheffield Council and new chief executive of Hackney Council, insisted that sharing information was essential in order to safeguard children.
"But the critical job then is analysing that information - what does it tell you about a child? The information on its own is not sufficient. And actually, analysing is not sufficient either because if you don't act, nothing changes."
But Voice for the Child in Care chief executive John Kemmis warned workers against becoming obsessed with adult information-sharing systems at the expense of involving, and listening to, children.
"In relation to child protection, start with the child and stay with the child," he said. "Retain that focus. Information gathering should be fit for purpose. And children have the right to know who is being told what."
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