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WQ.437/2021
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR CHILDREN AND EDUCATION BY DEPUTY M.R. HIGGINS OF ST. HELIER
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 25TH OCTOBER 2021 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 1ST NOVEMBER 2021
Question
Following the determination of a wrongful disclosure of sensitive information by his department to people who were not entitled to it and the Office of the Information Commissioner stating that had it not been disclosed by a States body the department would have been fined for the breach, will the Minister advise members –
- what steps he is taking to prevent a re-occurrence of such an event;
- what actions have been taken against the social worker who made the breach; and
- what actions have been taken against senior staff implicated in what occurred?
Answer (a)
• A formal sincere apology has been issued by a Head of Service to the complainant.
• Proactive actions have been taken by the Children’s Social Care Service, in response to the breach, to ensure that all staff are fully aware of data protection and their responsibilities. Data protection training awareness sessions have been provided by the Information Governance Team and the Government of Jersey’s Cyber Security training has been issued to all staff.
• Data protection framework developed and implemented to prevent future breaches.
• Bespoke Data Protection and Data handling training rolled out to teams across Children’s Social Care.
• Developed a “lessons learnt” log to enhance learning
• The Children’s Social Care Service have launched training on recording the child’s journey and issued an updated recording procedure, which covers the importance of confidentiality and data protection
• New Children’s Social Care Practice standards have also been launched with our staff which includes upholding children’s rights, assessment standards, recording standards and data protection standards.
(b) and (c)
• An investigation was undertaken and completed in accordance with Government of Jersey policy.
• The department has made a referral to the regulatory body in the U.K. regarding the worker’s conduct in this matter.
• The Department has determined that to release any further detail on the recourse for the individuals would likely breach the privacy of individuals and therefore Article 25 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) 2018 Law has been applied.