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Researching Reform

Researching Reform

Daily Archives: September 17, 2013

Feeling Creative?

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by Natasha in Children

≈ 3 Comments

As we did a little Spring Clean of our blog yesterday (yep, we know it’s Autumn, but we like to do almost everything back to front), we started to think about our cover photo. We love our cover photo (the feet in the original photo were the little holiday feet of Researching Reform’s editor’s son), but we thought it might be fun to change the cover photo from time to time and to emphasise our central message that as far as we’re concerned, it’s all about the kids.

We’d like to invite parents whose children have been taken into care, parents whose children are still with them, and just about everyone else to get involved. Do you have a painting or picture your children have drawn or you’ve drawn yourself that you’d like us to display as our cover photo? We’ll keep it up there for a month and then place another picture up there.

You can send us, almost, anything – as long as we’re not breaking any court orders (we want to keep you safe), and as long as the theme is child related and appropriate for public consumption, we’d love to share your pictures with our readers and make you a part of our blog. Oh, and of course we will publish your name and credit the picture to your good selves in a post introducing yours or your children’s artwork.

So, go for it; send us something you’d like to share and we’ll share it with the world.

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New Consultation – Is The Law To Blame For Ineffective Data Sharing?

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by Natasha in Family Law, Research

≈ 1 Comment

In the wake of Michael Gove’s epiphany over public bodies and the awkward regulations surrounding information sharing, especially in relation to social care and children (see our recent post on what Gove had to say about his experience hunting down data), comes a brand new consultation, which started yesterday.

“Data Sharing Between Public Bodies”, is a consultation set up by The Law Commission, and seeks to, “establish whether these perceived obstacles are embedded in practice or culture, or whether they are to do with the substance of the law or how it is written.” 

The Law Commission website goes on to say, that, “Public bodies report that they cannot always share the data they need to share and, as a result, miss out on opportunities to provide better services to citizens.  At the same time, it is accepted that there is a need to ensure that the security of data and privacy of individuals are not put at risk.” 

This consultation is part of a Law Commission project of the same name, which was launched in April of this year, and is designed to examine whether the law as it stands has created unhelpful obstacles to data sharing or necessary ones.

We think the events of the last few decades speak for themselves, but we take the view that it’s not just the law at fault – it’s the public bodies who also break it, by not following specific legislation which is designed to ensure data is shared under the right conditions.

And then there is data sharing between public bodies and individuals – an equally interesting proposition and one we feel merits its own consultation. Ask anyone who has tried to get their own personal files from social services, only to be denied them, or those who have attempted Freedom of Information requests only to be told that information is too expensive to procure. Will cost, ultimately, be the excuse which our public bodies will use to sweep under the carpet, the clear legal and ethical problems before us?

Nevertheless, this consultation will focus on the law’s part in the efficiency of data sharing and will focus on the following issues:

  • Is there a problem with the law – does the law itself erect barriers that unduly restrict data sharing between public bodies?
  • Is the law is too complex and hard to understand – has a lack of clarity in the law led public bodies to develop cultures that prevent lawful data sharing?  Is data sharing just too difficult?
  • Is there is a simply a gap in education, guidance and advice?

Data Sharing Between Public Bodies runs until 16th December, 2013. We’ll be very interested to see what the results are for this. You can check out the consultation paper, here. 

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The Children and Families Bill- Proposed Amendments

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by Natasha in Family Law, Update

≈ 18 Comments

Baroness Hughes and Baroness Jones are hard at work, trying to polish up the Bill. You can see their proposed amendments here.

For ease of reference, we’re adding the Bill in full here, for cross-referencing.

portcullis3

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