Children’s databases could put young people at increased risk by
diverting resources from frontline services, a report ordered by
the Information Commissioner and published today has found.
The
report by
the Foundation for Information Policy Research argues that the aim
of systems - such as the children's index - to develop an early
warning system for identifying whether a child is either at risk or
likely to offend could discriminate against them.
The authors also argue that the index, due to be rolled out
nationally by 2008 and expected to cost £224m, could stigmatise
children.
Other databases incuding the common assessment framework could
violate data protection and human rights laws, the report says.
They go on to state that children whose information is held on
the index could be unnecessarily stigmatised.
One of the authors, Dr Eileen Munro, a reader in social policy
at the London School of Economics, said the scheme “would
overstretch scarce resources, damage parents’ confidence and divert
services from focusing on real cases of abuse.”
Earlier this week the children’s minister told MPs the index is
essential to ensuring that further child protection tragedies don’t
take place.
Beverley Hughes, speaking in front of the Education and Skills
committee, said that many tragedies had occurred due to
professionals not being aware of concerns raised by other
practitioners and that the index would address this.
“We have to accept that without some assistance further
tragedies are going to happen simply because people don’t know who
else was involved and couldn’t put the information together,” she
said.
Hughes added that she was unable to think of any other “tool”
which would enable professionals to get this information.
She said that due to the index’s purpose it was difficult to say
whether it represented value for money. It is expected to cost £41m
a year to run.
Essential
child protection information