The four CIP partner sites are undertaking important work applying information use to topics that are significant for social policy and professional practices relating to children.
- Hampshire
- North Yorkshire
- Oldham
- Rochdale
Each Information Use Project (IUP) provides a basis both for a) improving the use of information at the site and hence improving experiences and outcomes for children and families, and b) developing and testing our emerging approach.
The focus throughout is not just on the information used but on how it is used – making the use of information a central practice that requires attention to who is involved (whose voices are heard) and the fit of information to decision-making.
To identify and select IUPs, we required that each IUP:
- be well specified (in terms of our five originally specified core practices: voice, data, ethics, use and learning)
- have influence and traction at the site
- have a reasonable likelihood of impacting lives and experiences
- have appropriate governance
At each site, the CIP team has been exploring how mixed methods – of collecting, recording, collating, sharing, interpreting and processing, and acting upon children’s quantitative and qualitative information – can work together to build a better understanding of children’s lives, as the basis for an improved service offer.
Core to this is ensuring that diverse voices – including those of children, young people, families and practitioners – are heard more clearly within children’s information, and that these voices influence how the information is gathered, processed and used.
In Hampshire, the team is assessing how improved information use can enable children and families to receive support as early as possible when difficulties arise. In North Yorkshire, the focus is on testing how using good-quality information can improve the experiences and outcomes of young people leaving care. In Oldham and Rochdale, together with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the CIP is looking at how information can be used well to help younger children be better prepared to start school.
Full details of the Information Use Project undertaken in each site is available in the project report ‘What Is Ethical and Effective Use of Children’s Information in Local Authorities, and How Can It Be Improved?’
