Group calls for national support framework for adults looking to access their childhood care records

Research exploring experiences of adult care leavers discussed at House of Lords roundtable event

Session chaired by Baroness Young of Hornsey OBE

Access to Care Records Campaign Group calls on Government to do more in their role of ‘corporate parent’

TUESDAY 27^TH NOVEMBER 2018 – LONDON, UK – A leading campaign group has called for a national framework that guides local authorities and voluntary organisations to support adults who were in care as children and are now looking to access their care files.

The Access to Care Records Campaign Group is calling on the government to introduce a number of standardised measures to ensure those who access their care records are given sufficient support as they process their contents.

Today the campaign group reveals three strands of research which will be discussed at the House of Lords in a session to be chaired by the cross bench peer Baroness Young of Hornsey OBE.

The first report, published by The Care Leavers’ Association is the result of roundtable discussions across England led by Darren Coyne of CLA and Peter Garsden, President of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, which has given invaluable support to the campaign group.

The second report, ‘Battling with a Care-less Process’ was commissioned by The Care Leavers’ Association from Becky Clarke, Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University who interviewed 20 adult care leavers, the majority of whom were aged over 40, about their experiences of asking to see all their care records.

A Freedom of Information Analysis Report has also revealed that local authorities generally do not keep records of how many adult care leavers ask to see their care records and appear to have no systems in place to support them.

Each strand of research makes key recommendations as to how the government should be doing more to ensure a standardised approach for adult care leavers asking to see their care records.

These recommendations include:

• An effective process that makes it easier for data governance officers and professionals to share with adult care leavers more information from the records, including information about family members,.
• Avoiding redaction of files wherever possible, keeping accurate records whenever redaction is made and an explanation of the rationale.
• Offer support to all adult care leavers of any age across their life-span and keep open communication throughout the process.
• Provide detailed government guidance for data governance officers in relation to access to care records.
• Information for adult care leavers through diverse media sources about their right to see their care records and the support available to them to do so.

ACRCG believes that current data protection legislation, whilst allowing adult care leavers to access their personal information on their care records, is not designed to deal with requests for family history, information and decisions relating to a person’s time in care.  Government did not use the opportunity during the passage through Parliament of the Data Protection Act 2018 to address the serious disadvantages adult care leavers experience.

ACRCG’s ambition is first to ensure the creation of National Standards applying across all sectors to support those adult care leavers making a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act 2018.

Ultimately, the Group, working alongside adult care leavers, want to achieve ‘fit for purpose’ legislation which properly recognises the right of all people who grew up in the care of the State to have knowledge of their whole family history and to know what decisions and events have shaped their adult life.

Available for interview

• Darren Coyne, The Care Leavers’ Association
• Peter Garsden, President of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers
• Becky Clarke, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University

For more information or to set up an interview, please contact:

Ryan Sketchley
Editorial Director
Frank

ryansketchley@welcometofrank.com
07889559186