This was reported by GCWeekly on 30.6.06:
"Child database 'invades privacy'"
"An academic has said government plans to compile more databases on children
are not needed
"Eileen Munro from the Department of Social Policy at the London School of
Economics (LSE) claimed the Children's Act of 2004, which has laid the
ground for the Children's Index, is creating a major change in the
relationship between parents and the state."
"She was speaking at a conference on the subject, organised by the LSE, on
27 June 2006.
"Munro said that, in the wake of cases such as the death of Victoria
Climbié, the government is convinced that the key to providing better
protection for children at risk is more information sharing between
professionals.
""I find this surprisingly lacking in any empirical evidence," she said.
"Whatever evidence there is suggests that when there is information sharing
it quickly becomes passing the buck."
"She claimed that the government is removing all the barriers to information
sharing at the expense of privacy, even though they have already been
removed for cases when there was abuse or neglect of a child. The Children's
Act allows people in public bodies to share information when there is simply
a concern about abuse.
"The government response to criticism is that it will reassure families they
are still protected by the Data Protection Act," she said. "But this can be
ignored if there is a statutory duty to share information, and this duty is
provided by the 2004 act.""
http://www.kablenet.com/kd.nsf/Frontpage/D334B6A80103062A8025719B002FACC7?OpenDocument
Nick Landau
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