ICS isn't integrated enough

We have a number of families that are transient in our area (and then we don’t because they’ve moved!). We regularly have families known to other Local Authorities move in. There is a process for dealing with this if there is a Child Protection Plan in place. Not so easy when it is Child in Need, we have no formal process to deal with that. But the one thing both situations share is that there is no way to move electronic records between Local Authorities.

I’m no expert in Data Protection, but I assume that this is part of the reason information cannot be easily exchanged. But even if it could be easily exchanged our systems do not integrate, we cannot exchange information electronically. Surely this is a massive disadvantage to working with families that have a long involvement with Children’s Services? It potentially disadvantages them as we seek to reassess and evaluate what services are required and in issues of Safeguarding it disadvantages us as we can end up with almost a ‘clean slate approach’, which is well documented as dangerous.

Local Authorities routinely expect Social Workers to travel to them to view records and I have been refused use of a photocopier and been forced to take notes. I do not ever recall being allowed to print from ICS and have heard of people being chaperoned as they examine records. What exactly is being protected here?

Even at the most basic level if a family moves from another area I am forced to take to Google to find the phone number for the Local Authority they have moved from. Then begins the lengthy process of ringing the main number of that Authority and attempting to convince them of who I am and that I have good reason to enquire about a child.

Surely the integration in our systems needs to extend to the integration of Children’s Services? Why are Local Authorities so bad at talking to each other? Couldn’t all Local Authorities have a dedicated professionals line, could their be a directory of these?

A child’s records should be THEIR records, not the Local Authorities and should that child relocate, then their records should relocate with them.