§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the number of man-hours per year it will take local authority social services departments to collect and process the core data set of information on children and families required by the draft Children's Social Services Core Information Requirements Data Model.[140520]
§ Mr. HuttonThe children's social services core information requirements do not impose new tasks on councils. They were developed collaboratively with representative local authorities and published for consultation on 18 October. They are the Department's response to long-standing requests from local authority social services that a "minimum data set" for children's services be mapped and published. The core requirements comprise statistical information collected by central Government and the additional information that local authorities need themselves to plan and manage children's social service effectively. Most authorities do already collect the bulk of the specified information, either routinely or as and when required. The requirements are intended to assist local authorities in their negotiations with software suppliers to commission information systems that best suit their needs and promote the greatest possible efficiency in children's services.