Tech’s vital role in the future of childhood
David McKinney
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
Likening the scale of the challenge to reconstructing the social security system after the second world war, the children’s commissioner for England has said she will be “fearless” in representing children’s interests as England continues on its road to recovery.
(Children’s commissioner calls for “rocket boost” for early years services, cypnow.co.uk, 16 March 2021).
Technology will have a crucial role to play in rebuilding childhood and we must ensure that its capability is considered throughout our post-Covid recovery plan.
To rectify the damage caused by Covid to vulnerable children and young people, the work of education, youth services, social care and healthcare teams will need to be intertwined.
Joining up our IT systems to offer integrated services and seamless data sharing has never been more important. Children’s mental health has suffered enormously during the pandemic so having full visibility of each vulnerable child will be vital. And children deemed vulnerable before the UK locked down will now need even more support to not only get back on track but to ensure they continue along the right path.
As UK-wide restrictions begin to lift, only now will the true extent of the pandemic’s impact on children and young people be revealed, and the social care sector will need to use all the digital tools available to ensure nobody falls through the gaps.
We urge the commissioner to include technology providers in her plans to support children in the coming months, to see how effective joined-up IT systems can be in helping to highlight issues, improving efficiency and giving social care professionals the time and data they need to achieve more positive outcomes for children and young people.
David McKinney, managing director local government, Servelec
