The report for the information commissioner warned that the variousdatabases on children being set up by the Government could be violatingdata protection law. The report, produced by the Foundation forInformation Policy Research, also said data entry errors, the use ofsubjective data and practitioners' inability to correctly interpret datacould put children in danger.
Terri Dowty, one of the report's authors and director of Action onRights for Children, said the study exposed the risks of the databases,which include the planned child index.
"The risk of errors on these databases is a very serious problem andcould lead to serious delays in taking action and make it more difficultto pick up on problems," said Dowty. "There's also a risk of socialservices intervening due to incorrect data, which would be damaging forsocial work's reputation and make families subject to unwarrantedinvestigations."
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