Children’s social care: data and digital strategy · first published 15 December 2023
The Department for Education (DfE) has published its Children's Social Care Data and Digital Strategy, setting out a plan to transform how data is collected, shared, and used across children's social care services in England. The strategy identifies major problems — poor case management systems, fragmented information sharing, and heavy administrative burden — and commits to concrete action between now and 2025. Crucially for suppliers, DfE has committed to mapping existing market products against what local authorities actually need from case management systems, and to developing open data and technology standards that will make it easier to build new tools and services. A Data and Digital Solutions Fund has already been used to test innovative solutions, signalling that DfE intends to continue funding sector innovation. This is a strategy document rather than a procurement policy note, so it does not directly set contract award rules — but it clearly signals where DfE and local authorities will be spending money on technology, data, and digital services in the coming years.
WHO THIS APPLIES TO
THE ENKII VIEW
For SMEs with products or services in case management software, data analytics, information-sharing technology, or workforce training, this strategy is an early-warning signal of significant future procurement activity. DfE's explicit commitment to map "existing market products" against local authority needs, and to develop open standards that "encourage the development of new tools and services," actively favours smaller, innovative suppliers who can move quickly. The focus on reducing administrative burden and open standards also lowers barriers to entry — SMEs that align their offer to DfE's six foundations now will be better positioned when funded programmes and tenders follow.
1. Engage proactively with DfE's market-mapping exercise: monitor DfE and local authority procurement portals for research calls, market engagement events, and requests for information related to case management system needs — and respond to any published market engagement exercises.
SMEs offering case management software or digital tools for children's social care — DfE has committed to 'map the existing market products against these needs' for children's social care case management systems, meaning suppliers that participate in this exercise will directly shape the procurement that follows.
2. Review the forthcoming Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) guidance on responsible use of data analytics in children's social care (expected by 2025), and ensure your product documentation explicitly addresses the responsible-use principles it sets out — use this as evidence in future bids.
SMEs building data analytics, AI, or automation tools relevant to children's services — DfE is publishing guidance 'to assist teams across the sector to use data effectively and safely, and understand the potential for the use of advanced data techniques' — buyers will use this guidance to evaluate analytics tools, so aligning your offer to it is a competitive advantage.
3. Monitor DfE's open standards development work and, where participation is open, contribute to consultations or pilots — then build your product roadmap around the emerging children's social care open data and technology standards.
SMEs developing information-sharing, interoperability, or integration products — DfE explicitly states it will develop open standards to 'encourage the development of new tools and services', meaning early alignment to those standards removes a key barrier to adoption by local authorities.
4. Position your offer around DfE's planned sector-wide data and digital capability assessment: respond to any tender or research call arising from it, and frame your training products in terms of the three strategic objectives (culture/leadership, systems/technology, data improvement).
SMEs providing workforce training, data capability, or digital skills services to the public sector — DfE will 'conduct an assessment to understand the sector's data and digital capacity, capability, and skills' and then 'explore the long-term development of local authority data and digital capability' — this signals a funded support programme to follow.
5. Watch for future rounds of the DfE Data and Digital Solutions Fund: review past funded projects (case management, data standards, information sharing, analytics) to understand the scope, and prepare a project concept now so you can respond quickly when a new round opens.
All SMEs interested in DfE-funded innovation in children's social care — The strategy repeatedly references the Data and Digital Solutions Fund as the mechanism DfE uses to 'deliver and test innovative solutions', and commits to using its findings to 'invest in the future of children's social care data and digital.'
6. If your product can connect with the NHS Spine or use the NHS number as a consistent identifier, document this capability clearly and monitor DfE/NHS England procurement activity for the CP-IS (Child Protection – Information Sharing) service evaluation and successor pilots.
SMEs with NHS data integration or health/social care interoperability products — DfE has committed to 'evaluate and test improved information sharing using technology, including… the use of the NHS Spine (which includes testing the NHS number as a consistent identifier) and potential improvements to the CP-IS service', signalling active procurement in this space by 2025.
Every rule below quotes the official document verbatim.
The strategy covers children's social care data and digital services and applies to DfE, local authorities, safeguarding partners, and other agencies involved in children's social care. (DfE, local authorities, safeguarding partners, and other agencies — England)
“It is our shared responsibility with local authorities, safeguarding partners, and other agencies to use it appropriately and with care.”
The strategy's active programme of work runs from 2023 to 2025, with transformation expected to require action well beyond 2025. (All stakeholders — DfE strategy horizon)
“Our strategic objectives set out the 3 areas where we will work with the sector between now and 2025 to begin building the foundations for transforming data and digital services. Achieving this transformation will be a long-term plan requiring action far beyond 2025.”
The strategy is organised around six foundations: (1) Culture and Leadership, (2) Systems and Technology, (3) Information Sharing, (4) Data Collection, Insights and Analysis, (5) Supporting children, young people and families to tell their story, and (6) Trust and confidence in data use. (DfE strategy — all activity under this strategy)
“To address these challenges, we set out 6 foundations as a guide to improving children's social care.”
DfE will map existing market products against what local authorities need from children's social care case management systems, creating a clear opportunity for suppliers to engage. (Case management system suppliers — 2023–2025 workplan)
“work with local authorities to understand and agree what they need from their children's social care case management systems and map the existing market products against these needs”
DfE will publish guidance on the responsible use of data analytics developed with the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, to help teams across the sector use data safely and understand advanced data techniques. (Data analytics suppliers and local authority teams — 2023–2025 workplan)
“publish guidance developed with the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation on the responsible use of data analytics, to assist teams across the sector to use data effectively and safely, and understand the potential for the use of advanced data techniques”
DfE will develop and maintain open data and technology standards for children's social care to make it easier to publish, access, share, and use better quality data, explicitly to encourage the development of new tools and services. (All technology suppliers — 2023–2025 workplan)
“explore and work with the sector to develop and maintain data and technology open standards and develop a solution on standard implementation that is aligned with existing standards across government”
DfE will support further sector innovation in digital approaches to case management. (Case management and digital service suppliers — 2023–2025 workplan)
“support further sector innovation in digital approaches to case management”
DfE will work to understand the value of automated data collections to reduce administrative burden and increase the frequency and timeliness of data. (Data automation and integration suppliers — 2023–2025 workplan)
“work to understand the value and potential of automated data collections to reduce administrative burden and increase frequency and timeliness of data”
DfE will evaluate and test improved information sharing using technology, including systems developed by local authorities, the NHS Spine, and the NHS number as a consistent identifier, and the Child Protection – Information Sharing (CP-IS) service. (Information-sharing technology suppliers — 2023–2025 workplan)
“evaluate and test improved information sharing using technology, including systems developed by local authorities, the use of the NHS (National Health Service) Spine (which includes testing the NHS number as a consistent identifier) and potential improvements to the Child Protection - Information Sharing (CP-IS) service”
DfE will conduct an assessment of the sector's data and digital capacity, capability, and skills to inform how it can best support the sector to grow its capabilities. (Workforce training and capability suppliers — 2023–2025 workplan)
“conduct an assessment to understand the sector's data and digital capacity, capability, and skills to inform how we can best support the sector to grow its capabilities”
DfE has already funded innovation through a Data and Digital Solutions Fund, including testing open data/technology standards and evaluating data analytics tools for safeguarding. (Suppliers previously or prospectively funded through the DfE Data and Digital Solutions Fund)
“supporting local authorities to deliver and test innovative solutions for case management systems, data collections, and information sharing through the data and digital solutions fund”
DfE will publish a children's social care dashboard to bring data together in one place, including finding easier and faster ways to move data from local authorities to DfE and reduce collection burdens. (Data integration and dashboard technology suppliers — 2023–2025 workplan)
“publish a children's social care dashboard which will bring children's social care data together in one place to help understand whole system progress towards the outcomes of the national framework”
Three strategic objectives frame all DfE activity to 2025: supporting strong data culture and leadership; supporting systems and technology to meet sector need; and improving the data collected, shared, and used. (All stakeholders — DfE 2023–2025 programme)
“Our strategic objectives set out the 3 areas where we will work with the sector between now and 2025 to begin building the foundations for transforming data and digital services.”
This briefing is enkii's interpretation of the official document — the official text always governs.
Source document © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0 via the GOV.UK Content API. enkii tracks every Procurement Policy Note and briefs changes the day they land — see all briefings.