The UK Department for Education and Skills builds Paedophile's database

Since posting about the activities of US military giant General Dynamics subsidiary Antaeon UK fingerprinting UK schoolkids, Lord Patel is delighted to discover that there is an active network of concerned and interested people campaigning against this sinister policy

Primary Agitators - Leave them Kids Alone - Go and have a look. http://www.leavethemkidsalone.com/

Naked Law writes that The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Information Commissioner have confirmed that parents cannot necessarily prevent schools from taking their children's fingerprints. Under the Data Protection Act 1998 a child, if of sufficient maturity, can give the necessary consent for processing of their personal data, and it is up to the school to determine whether a child is capable of fully understanding the proposed use of their data and therefore being of a sufficient age to consent to their biometrics being taken.

See more about the DFES position here.

Statewatch relates the news from the EU legislators...EU states will be free to fingerprint children from day one of their life as soon as it is technologically possible

- "scanning of fingerprints: up to 12 years of age.. if provided for by national legislation... from 12 years of age: Compulsory" (EU doc no: 9403/1/06)

- "The decisions are being made in secret meetings based on secret documents - people and parliaments are to have no say in the decision"

Kablenet reports that Holland Park School in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, is installing an attendance system - for children not teechers.

The council ..."also denied that the database is being developed to as part of the government's controversial proposal to build a Children's Index, a national database of under 12s." ...of which you can read more here.... but read on.

It may (or may not - but it probably is) be of interest that The Director of Technology at the Department for Education and Skills Michael Stevenson is leaving the civil service. He had been in position for less than a year.

A DfES spokesperson is reported saying the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) with The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)will take forward the "critical delivery work" with children's centres, schools, colleges and universities - which is expected to push forward the e-strategy Harnessing Technology.

"Although this is an important new direction, it is not something that Michael felt able to commit himself to for the three years it will need. He is therefore leaving the civil service to pursue other opportunities."

All this very sinister state driven hi-tech building of databases is being tried out on children as a result of the ideas proposed in 2003 with the Every Child Matters Green paper in the wake of the death of Victoria Climbié which highlighted the managerial confusion that reigned in dealing with her case.

The Government is planning developing an "Information Sharing Index" which will identify every child in England . It will cost a total £224m over the next three years. This includes the cost of ensuring the original data supplied to the index is accurate ( Qua ?), that there are robust systems in place to ensure security, and that staff are trained to use the index properly. Operating costs will be £41m per year.It is due to go live by end 2008.

According to (the then) Secretary of State for Education Ruth Kelly, the Index ( a truly gargantuan and Orwellian scheme) is a key part of the Every Child Matters "programme to transform children's services by supporting more effective prevention and early intervention. Its goal is to improve outcomes and the experience of public services for all children, young people and families."

Kelly says that better information sharing is "essential for early and effective intervention", and adds that the Index "will provide a tool to support better communication among practitioners across education, health, social care and youth offending. It will allow them to contact one another more easily and quickly, so they can share information about children who need services or about whose welfare they are concerned."

The DfES claims 3-4 million children have "additional needs which should be addressed if they are to achieve the Every Child Matters outcomes" , but as we can't identify them ...well we need a record on every one of the 11 million schoolchildren - centrally, accessible by well, it appears every Government Agency you can think of. Sledghammers and nuts syndrome.

So lots of people from all sorts of organisations throughout the country will access this Index - impossible to secure or police whether access is local, remote or mobile.

Ruth Kelly is off now and clearing up the ordure of the Deputy Prime Ministers office, her successor , smiling, smug, second hand car salesman, RT HON Alan Johnson MP and his sidekick (another privy Councillor) the discredited RT HON Beverley Hughes MP, will no doubt be able provide a detailed explanation of how this system will be made secure - or even why it is necessary - perhaps this may not be unconnected with the reasons the Director of Technology at the Department for Education and Skills Michael Stevenson is leaving the civil service. ... who is said to be "He is ... leaving the civil service to pursue other opportunities."

Statutory Instrument 2006 No. 983 / CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS, ENGLAND / The Information Sharing Index (England) Regulations 2006 were made 30th March 2006 and came into effect the following day... ie without debate or discussion.

Data matching trials have been undertaken it was announced quietly on September 6th.

The data matching trials for the index are now complete....

Samples of basic child data were requested from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department of Health, the Department for Education and Skills and from nine local authorities (i.e Social Service Departments, YOT's etc.,

"The results show good matching rates between the main national datasets. They support the strategy of initially loading the index from existing government databases."

Taking your children's fingerprints is only the beginning, they are already quite legally swapping, sharing, matching, and acting on data provided for other reasons at other times for other purposes.

But don't worry.."The trials were conducted in a secure environment." ..... and will the professionals accessing the system due to be fully implements by end 2008 in 148 Local Authorities, Courts, Police, Hospitals, be operating in a "secure environment"?

Just to remind you..."Under the Data Protection Act 1998 a child, if of sufficient maturity, can give the necessary consent for processing of their personal data,"

Scary.

POSTSCRIPT

Ignoring the privacy issues (and the attitude to date of the Data Commissioner this looks like history) you just know this is another Government inspired computerised fuck up just waiting for the road accident to happen.... "Paedophiles get children's data from Gubment networks !!!" ... "Perverts mine Children's database for contacts". ... "Parents demand answers."

Anyone remember Geoffrey Prime ? His activities came to light due to his involvement in the Paedophile Information Exchange who swapped information about children. He kept meticulous records on 2,287 record cards, bearing notes and photographs of little girls.