Overcoming behavioural and cultural barriers to multi-agency information sharing in children’s social care
Secure information sharing is a core component of child safeguarding.
To make an informed decision about a child or young person, a social worker, health practitioner, or education, police or criminal justice professional must be able to readily access information to build a comprehensive picture of a child’s circumstances.
The Department for Education commissioned the London Borough of Newham, in partnership with Social Finance and the Rees Centre at the University of Oxford, to conduct independent primary and secondary research to identify the behavioural and cultural factors influencing information sharing in a multi-agency context.
This research brief presents the main findings from research across children’s social care, health providers, police and education settings, and outlines a series of human-centred solutions to the challenges identified.
The full parliamentary report on multi-agency information sharing, delivered in July 2023, is also available to read online.
