Interim report: Engaging Data Protection Specialists and Frontline Workers

This is one of a series of interim reports produced as part of the Information Sharing Project in collaboration with The Promise Scotland. This project has sought to understand the legal, cultural, and technical barriers to data and information sharing as it relates to care experienced children, young people, and their families across public sector agencies and organisations in Scotland. 

This report was written by Urban Foresight, with contributions from Datavant, and brings together findings from two linked work packages: one exploring data protection officer (DPO) challenges through discovery sessions, surveys, and stakeholder mapping; and the other investigating how existing tools support (or fail to support) practice through interviews and focus groups.  

The findings presented here should be read alongside insights from the other work packages, as together they contribute to a shared and evolving understanding of how data and information sharing can better support care experienced children and young people in Scotland. The full set of final project outputs is due to be published in spring 2026. 

• Summary

  The report shares insights from engagement with 18 data protection specialists and care system staff across Scotland. It highlights persistent barriers to effective data and information sharing around care experienced children and young people, including limited connectivity between specialists, inconsistent training, a lack of clear and shared guidance, and the absence of a standardised or centralised approach to data sharing across sectors. These challenges can lead to caution and uncertainty, particularly where care experience is involved. 

  Alongside these barriers, the research identifies strong motivation and appetite for learning among both data protection specialists and frontline workers. Participants expressed a clear desire to deepen their understanding of data sharing in the context of care experienced children and young people, and a commitment to supporting them through better use of data. 

  Drawing on these insights, the report sets out six opportunities for the Scottish Government to consider: 

  • Develop tools and resources to support the workforce to effectively navigate data sharing in the context of care experienced children;  

  • Create resources to support data protection specialists to be expert advisors in their organisations; 

  • Support local authorities to sustainably embed the role and responsibilities of their Promise Lead into the organisation; 

  • Create a more connected ecosystem through engaging with existing data sharing groups; 

  • Develop a regular newsletter to share best practice and foster a community of practice around data sharing and protection;

  • Determine who is best placed to implement the proposed actions.

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