Leeds and Bradford part of new data sharing project to better support vulnerable families

Leeds City Council and Bradford Council have together secured almost £1 million of funding to help ensure children and families receive the right help at the right time.

The two West Yorkshire cities have been awarded £991,816 of the Government’s Data Accelerator Fund which will be used to improve how data is shared between local partners such as councils, NHS trusts and the police.

By sharing information across schools, health, housing, police and social care, frontline workers can get a better understanding of an individual family’s needs and the often interconnected challenges they face, such as mental health issues, employment, and substance misuse.

Local authorities can use this information to ensure children and families receive the right help at the right time, with tailored, wraparound support being put in place as early as possible.

The government’s data accelerator fund is £7.9 million in total and will also support 9 other data sharing projects across England.

Funding for the data projects will run up until 2023 and be divided over two years.

Councillor Fiona Venner, Leeds City Council’s executive member for Adult and Children’s Social Care and Health Partnerships, said:

“Our vision is for Leeds to be the best city for children to grow up in and we are continuously looking for new ways to work with families to improve their lives. Improving data usage supports our commitment to outstanding practice, ensuring we have the right conversations, at the right time. I’m looking forward to seeing this project progress and I’m confident it will have some fantastic outcomes.”

Councillor Sue Duffy, Bradford Council’s executive member for Children and Families, said: “As the youngest city in the UK, we are pleased to be part of this initiative with our sister city of Leeds.  We feel our children will really benefit from it.

“Data, and the effective use of it, is a powerful tool to help us target support to the right families, at the right time, so we can better help them to thrive and succeed in life.

“This is a valuable opportunity to work more closely with partners to transform the services we deliver to vulnerable children and families.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The 10 areas in England supported by the fund are: Nottingham, Leicestershire and Doncaster; Avon and Somerset; Reading, Portsmouth, Wokingham and West Berkshire; Sunderland; Leeds and Bradford; Doncaster and Wakefield; London; East Sussex; Greater Manchester; and Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk.

Examples of the projects being funded by the Data Accelerator Fund include:

• data modelling to identify families that require early help and support from services, with a focus on financial problems and homelessness (Nottingham and Leicestershire)
• using data from London boroughs, the Metropolitan Police and NHS North West London to plan and manage child social care placements (London)
• a local birth cohort study tracking the health of children born in Doncaster and Wakefield, based on a previous pioneering study in Bradford (Doncaster and Wakefield)

The full funding breakdown for each area is as follows:

Nottingham, Leicestershire and Doncaster: £525,500

Avon and Somerset: £997,022

Berkshire: £915,886

Sunderland: £453,029

Leeds and Bradford: £991,816

Doncaster and Wakefield: £810,363

London: £996,082

East Sussex: £280,000

Greater Manchester: £950,500

Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk: £679,802