Last week's study for the information commissioner on the childdatabases in development warns that the Government's record collectingposes serious dangers to children (see news, p8).
The human rights arguments against these databases are well known. Butthe report's warning of how, through human error and professionalreliance, these databases could be a threat to children also deservesattention.
After all, will the millions spent on databases rather than actualservices be justified if families are split up because a computer filesuggested there was a risk that did not exist? Or if a child diesbecause the database didn't say there was a problem?
Victoria Climbie's murder illustrated that a lack of information is notalways the problem, but the ability to interpret and to act on itis.
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