October 2007

DATA SHARING 'COULD BE THE KEY'...

An article entitled ‘Adequate caring made possible by sharing’ in the Guardian earlier this term suggested that information sharing could be the key to protecting children. The article asserts that ‘any professional who comes into contact with a child, or has concerns, should be able to discover immediately if and when other agencies have been involved’.

Such a database would need to hold a vast amount of information on each child including a full history of their dealings with any children’s services. This database, called ContactPoint (formerly known as the ‘information sharing index’), is being developed in line with Every Child Matters. It is not intended to hold assessment or case information, nor will it contain subjective observations of children and their parents.

ContactPoint will be available online and through some existing case management systems. Whilst users won’t have access to cases belonging to other agencies, a child’s involvement with these agencies will be indicated. Security is taken very seriously, with two-factor authentication, enhanced CRB checks and detailed audit trails. However, which professionals exactly are to be given access to ContactPoint remains unclear. The most descriptive list available states that ‘those working in education, health, social care, youth offending and some voluntary organisations’ are likely to be granted access.

What about Music Services?

As part of children’s services, Music Services will need to be involved with ContactPoint. The organisational hierarchy within Music Services usually dictates that administrative staff have far more access to pupil information than teaching staff, even though they have less access to the pupils themselves.

Peripatetic teachers are in a position to identify issues with children, but the child cannot be relied upon as the sole source of information. Schools ought to make instrumental teachers aware of anything that is likely to affect a child’s learning. ContactPoint is intended to inform child protection issues, and is not intended to identify learning difficulties etc. Therefore, schools will still be relied upon for input in many cases.

It is yet to be discovered whether peripatetic music teachers or their managers are included in the ‘education’ category of potential users. Comments from those involved in music services would suggest that there is a strong case for this:

Comment from Graham Standley, Chair of FMS and CEO of Kent Music
‘In many good schools, the school staff ensure that peris are always advised of bereavements and other major upheavals in the child's life. However, where information is less forthcoming, a peri may not be advised that a new pupil is known to have specific problems e.g. dyslexia.

Any system, however sophisticated, is dependent on someone remembering to enter the relevant information in the first place. The same system will also rely on the professional to look at the notes others have made. Whilst it is easy to be skeptical about the potential for data to be overlooked, if there is no data system available, the flow of relevant information to the people who need it is bound to be made more difficult.

Certainly, some pupils are likely to confide in their instrumental teachers and the small group situation or individual lesson provides a more private arena for troubles to be shared.'

Comment from John Witchell, Chief Executive of FMS
‘This is obviously an increasingly important area for instrumental teachers, the majority whom are employed by music services. In the current climate I believe that instrumental teachers have a responsibility to alert of any child protection issues etc. that they come across in their teaching. They need to be able to slot into the school system and have confidence that any concerns that they raise are taken forward. It is sometimes noted that children confide to instrumental teachers because of the small group nature of the relationship, rather than with their class teacher. It is therefore essential that there is a procedure that enables the instrumental teacher to notify the school of any issue. Conversely, all instrumental teachers need to have sufficient information about the pupils they teach. Unfortunately, the amount they receive varies from school to school.

So I believe that there is a job to be done and I would welcome a focus on instrumental teachers. The FMS would, I’m sure, do all it could to contribute to this. Finally this is another reason why instrumental tuition needs to be regarded as part of the mainframe of children’s services provision, which it isn’t at present.’

Click here for information on ContactPoint.
Click here to read ‘Adequate caring made possible by sharing’.

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