Child Social Services - Freedom of information requests

Title or Description: Child Social Services
FOI Number: 15728
Date Received: 26/10/2021
Type of Request: FOI
Request or Question: Under Freedom of information I would like to know the following information.1. Is there any connection between childhood experiences and future parenting abilities. Can you supply evidence to back up your response.2. Do professionals like Cafcass, Guardian ad litem, Psychologists etc have access to child social services paperwork prior to doing their assessments? If so what type of information is shared and is this only in child social services vs parents or also in custody disputes?3. Do child social services share paperwork, even historical with other child social services areas for example from Coventry to South Yorkshire and if so under what circumstances?
4. How often is misinformation passed between different child social services areas and what can the person that misinformation pertains to do about it?
Response: 1. This question and any answer would be based on opinion not any council policy/statement therefore we are unable to provide an answer. Therefore we give notice under s17 of FOI(S)A 2002 and declare that the information is not held.

2. Other professionals do not have access to Children and Families Social Work case records and the information contained in them. In Scottish Borders Council, Educational Psychologists record on the same electronic recording system as Children and Families Social Work.

3. Case files are shared following formal request by another local authority. The requester has to identify the reason for the request; what is specifically requested; what the information will be used for e.g. assessment of child; when the information is required by; is the child (if over 12 years of age) is aware of the request; and, if the parent(s) are aware of the information being requested.

4. This question and any answer would be based on opinion not any council policy/statement therefore we are unable to provide an answer. Therefore we give notice under s17 of FOI(S)A 2002 and declare that the information is not held.