Use of data analytics, predictive analytics and artificial intelligence within Children's Services

The request was successful.

Dear Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council,

This is a new information request but is linked to a previous request, which was refused by the local authority on grounds of cost. The previous reference was FOI 11726. We are submitting this Freedom of Information Request for information relating to the previous, current, or planned use of data analytics, predictive analytics, and/or algorithmic automated systems used within child and family services.

Please can you supply the following information:
1) Is the council currently using data analytics, predictive analytics, and/or artificial intelligence systems to support children's service provision? If so, what/which of these?
2)Is the council intending to use data analytics and or artificial intelligence systems to support children’s service provision? If so, what/which of these?
3) Details of any briefing notes, reports, or summaries relating to the use or potential use of data analytics, predictive analytics, and or artificial intelligence systems to support children’s service provision, dated within the last 12 months.
4) Any meeting minutes, reports, or presentation materials on the efficacy or impact of data analytics, predictive analytics, and or artificial intelligence systems to support children’s service provision, dated within the last 12 months.
5) Details of any third-party consultants or suppliers of data analytics, predictive analytics, or artificial intelligence systems including any contracts, memoranda of understanding, or other agreements (which may include but not exclusively data sharing agreements), dated within the last 12 months.

Please note:
By data analytics we mean the processing of families’ data to draw conclusions about the information it contains and to uncover patterns and insights from it. This may be via computer packages or dashboards.
By predictive analytics, we mean using families’ data to create predictive models that can be used for risk assessment, scoring systems or to inform decision-making.
By artificial intelligence/algorithmic automated systems we mean the process of using families’ data to develop systems that make decisions by automated means. This includes tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as speech recognition and decision-making.
By children’s service provision we include information relating to all services the local authority provides for children and families, including children's social care, education and learning, early years services, youth services and youth offending teams.

If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in s.12 FOIA, please provide advice and assistance as to how I can refine my request, as required under s.16 FOIA.

Yours faithfully,

Val Gillies

FoI Request, Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

Dear Ms Gillies
FOI 11956
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Please note that in light of Government guidance, all Legal Services staff
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frontline services.
 
Legal Services - Resources Directorate
Wigan Council
Town Hall, Library Street
Wigan WN1 1YN
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FoI Request, Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

Dear Ms Gillies
 
I am sorry for the delay in responding to your Freedom of Information
Request. I am endeavouring to obtain the information for the response and
will e-mail as soon as possible.
 
The Information Commissioner’s Office has recognised the unprecedented
challenges all are facing during the current situation and that people may
experience delays when making information rights requests during the
pandemic.
Kind regards
Kath Peace
Information Governance Assistant
 
Please note that in light of Government guidance, all Legal Services staff
are currently working from home.  We have a skeleton staff attending the
office, by exception and only where absolutely necessary.  Wherever
possible, please avoid posting documents to us and use electronic
communication instead.  If you must post a hard copy document, please
email the recipient, so we can arrange for post to be collected.  In these
exceptional times please note our response times to correspondences may
increase as we continue to support the most vulnerable in society and our
frontline services.
 
Legal Services - Resources Directorate
Wigan Council
Town Hall, Library Street
Wigan WN1 1YN
[1]www.wigan.gov.uk
[2]www.twitter.com/wigancouncil
[3]www.facebook.com/WiganCouncilOnline
[4]https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Council/Armed-f...
 
As a public body, the Council may be required to disclose this email or
any response
 
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FoI Request, Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Gillies

Please find attached the response to your request for information.  This
request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of this response, an independent senior
officer will review this decision. If you are not satisfied with our
response you must put your complaint in writing within 40 working days of
receipt of this response giving the reasons for your complaint.  You can
either email [1][Wigan Council request email] or write to the address below.

You can also complain to the Information Commissioner, who is the
regulator for Freedom of Information. Her website is
[2]https://ico.org.uk/ and her helpline number is 0303 1231113.

Her staff may ask you to exhaust our internal complaints procedure if you
choose to complain to her office now.

May I take this opportunity to apologise for the delay in responding to
your request. I can assure you that all requests for information received
are processed, however, on some occasions the response takes longer than
20 working days for a number of reasons and we thank you for your
patience.

Yours sincerely

 

Dawn Rowlands
Information Governance Officer

 

Please note that in light of Government guidance all Legal Services staff
are currently working from home.  We have a skeleton staff attending the
office, by exception and only where absolutely necessary.  Wherever
possible, please avoid posting documents to us and use electronic
communication instead.  If you must post a hard copy document, please
email the recipient, so we can arrange for post to be collected. We do not
currently accept service of any documents by DX. 

 

In these exceptional times please note our response times to
correspondences may increase as we continue to support the most vulnerable
in society and our frontline services.

 

Resources

Legal Services

Wigan Council
Town Hall Library Street, Wigan WN1 1YN
01942 827015

Int. 2015

 

 

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