Somerset Council are asking for parents and caregivers to provide feedback about Transform, a new data platform which holds information about children and families in Somerset. We have provided some information about the platform below, including links to the councils privacy policy.
You can find out more by reading this and complete the survey, which should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.
You can go directly to the survey by visiting: https://forms.office.com/e/W1HHGtfUcT
What is Transform?
Transform is a data platform which holds information about a child and their family which different professionals can access.
The Transform platform holds information about individual children and young people, including their; name and address, family, education (attendance, EHCPs and so on), safeguarding notifications, health, police involvement, housing provider, and professional involvement (for example, support from social workers).
The platform also holds information about family members, including: employment status, police involvement, health, substance misuse, education status of any other children, housing provider (if in Social Housing), and domestic abuse.
For more information about Transform, and how they access, store, and share personal information, visit: https://www.somerset.gov.uk/children-families-and-education/privacy-notice-children-and-families-childrens-social-care/
The purpose of Transform: The information on Transform helps professionals understand a child and their family’s situation and provide appropriate support. It also supports safeguarding, as professionals can use it to identify children who are at risk of or experiencing exploitation, neglect, abuse, and children who go missing from home.
The data sources and access of Transform: Transform uses information from existing sources that are already used by Children’s Services and their partners who support family help in Somerset. Transform is accessed by internal services within Somerset Council including Children’s Services, Adult Services and Public Health services. It is also accessed by some trusted external partners.
A list of trusted partners with access to Transform can be found here: https://www.somerset.gov.uk/tables/external-transform-view/
The information sharing and security of Transform: Transform shares personal and sensitive information with other organisations only when there is a need to provide help or ensure safety. The information is kept secure and the families are informed about what will be shared and with whom, by a privacy notice on either the Somerset Council website or the partnership website.
For more information, visit: https://www.somerset.gov.uk/children-families-and-education/privacy-notice-supporting-families-childrens-services/
The decision-making process of Transform: Transform is used by professionals to assess risk and to provide appropriate support to families, but the platform itself does not use any automated decision-making or profiling processes. All decisions made rely on human input from the professionals who use the system.
If you have further questions or concerns, you can contact Transform@somerset.gov.uk for more information.