Improving outcomes for vulnerable children through better

information sharingNicola Underdown

Head of Engagement

Who we are• Neutrally positioned between central government and local public

services

• Actively working with local places to identify their information sharing issues, co-design and share solutions

Our vision is to improve service delivery and outcomes for people as a direct result of improved

information sharing between partner agencies.

Two contentions:

1) Information and/or data sharing can improve outcomes for vulnerable people

Two contentions:

2) Three lenses on information sharing…

Governance(legal)

Technology(systems)

Behaviour(people)All three needed to

solve information sharing challenges

Three lenses on information sharing

Two questions:

1) Why does information sharing “go wrong”?

2) What have been the previous responses to the problem?

Technology(systems)

Cultural(people)

Governance(legal)

“You can’t share that – it’s data protection”

“Legally we’re not allowed to share that”

Presenting issue: Legal

Resolution: LegalAdditional legislation

Publication of (contradictory?) guidance

Necessary… but not sufficient.

Cultural(people)

Governance(legal)

Technology(systems)

“Systems don’t talk to one another”

“If only we were all on the same system”

Presenting issue: Technology

Resolution: TechnologicalBuild a big database

Make systems interoperable

Not sufficient… not necessary (?)

Governance(legal)

Technology(systems)

“Information sharing varies across the country”

Presenting issue: Inconsistency

Resolution: SystematiseIntroduce a MASH

One size doesn’t fit all

Cultural(people)

Governance(legal)

Technology(systems)

“Practitioners lack confidence”“There’s a lack of trust between partners”

“I’m not sure what you want to do with that data”“I don’t have the resource to clean the data / extract and send the data…”

Presenting issue: BehaviourCultural(people)

What works?

Information sharing is part of a system – behaviour does not exist in a vacuum, but is a response to the system (and also acts on the system)

So to address information sharing behaviour, you need to look for points of leverage where a small change can make a big difference (aggregate value)

In practical terms…

• Embed information sharing activity into the REAL work• Involve practitioners in the design process – ask “what

information do you need?”• Reduce the process to the minimum necessary• Find a coalition of the willing to try something new• Understand the organisational implications of doing

something new• Evaluate your impact• Find champions (at all levels) • Tell stories

Another problem I’m thinking about!

• Humans as rational actors…• But the evidence is that unconscious barriers to

information sharing exist (new idea for information sharing!)

• How do we build information sharing interventions which make the most of our mental shortcuts or address those problems?

Thank you!

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