New Children’s Minister visits Wigan Town Hall following government’s major investment in Children’s Social Care reform
Josh MacAlister’s first visit as Children’s Minister was to Wigan Town Hall to discuss the huge benefits of Unique Single Identifiers (USI’s) to help improve children’s social care
The new Children’s Minister, Josh MacAlister MP, visited Wigan Town Hall on Tuesday 16 September to highlight the government’s major investment in children’s social care reform and to see first-hand how Wigan is driving forward investment in information sharing to protect and support children.
£2.1 billion was secured at the Spending Review to deliver major reforms of children’s social care and family support which will transform the lives of vulnerable children and families in Wigan and across the North West.
A key element of the reforms is the introduction of a Single Unique Identifier that will support better identification and linkage of children’s records across the different services they are supported by.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, includes provision for the Education Secretary to introduce a SUI and the organisations required to use it at a later date.
The pilot in Wigan marks the first in a series of pilots to test its implementation. These form part of a wider programme of work to radically improve multi agency information sharing between organisations.
This government is committed to ensuring that professionals working with a child will have a complete picture, helping them to spot problems earlier, respond more effectively, and prevent vulnerable children from slipping through the cracks.
The proposal for the SUI was a central recommendation of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care (2022), led by Josh MacAlister before entering Parliament. Now, as Minister for Children, he is responsible for delivering this reform. -
During his visit, the Minister was joined by Wigan Council Leader, Councillor David Molyneux, to discuss how their new information sharing system, once enhanced by the anticipated benefits of a single identifier, will transform safeguarding and support for families.
Josh MacAlister MP, Minister for Children & Families, said: “Protecting children is a top priority for this government and sits at the heart of our Plan for Change, with £2.1 billion secured to deliver groundbreaking reforms.
“The Unique Child Identifier may sound like a small administrative shift, but when combined with legislative change, and investing in technology changes that support practitioners to rapidly locate and use information, will be transformative.
“By cutting through the fog of fragmented information, we will empower schools, health services, and councils to work together more effectively, spot safeguarding risks earlier, and give every child the protection and opportunity they deserve.”