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ARTICLE · 12 OCTOBER 2026

Children’s Social Care Needs Safer Data Sharing

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The recent report by the Local Government Association (LGA) on digital maturity in children’s social services delivers a clear message. The sector has invested in modern analytical tools and enjoys broadly supportive leadership, but the foundations — data flows, data sharing, governance and service-specific strategy — remain dangerously immature.

United KingdomMedia, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment
David Hall
David Hall

The recent report by the Local Government Association (LGA) on digital maturity in children’s social services delivers a clear message. The sector has invested in modern analytical tools and enjoys broadly supportive leadership, but the foundations — data flows, data sharing, governance and service-specific strategy — remain dangerously immature.

The report presents insights drawn from a survey conducted by the LGA (in partnership with the Department for Education) in late 2025, to which 110 of 151 eligible English local authorities responded.

Headline insights

The report is rich, but some points stand out. The indications are that:

Security risks

  • 71% of authorities receive safeguarding data from external partners via email attachments

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