Free information index ----- Original Message -----
Dear Catherine Larkin, It will never be possible
for local authorities to protect children from abuse until their child
protection polices are evidence based but there is no legislation or
regulations which specifically requires local authorities to collect
& hold information on child abuse perpetrators or for them to use
that information to formulate their child protection policies. Nor is
this information available for Government to use that information to
formulate their child protection policies. ----- Original Message -----
Dear Mr Mortimer I write with reference to your recent request for information. Please see below a copy of your request and the response: Please will you kindly tell me what the (a) gender and (b) familial relationship was to the child victim of offenders in substantiated child abuse cases in the area which you have a duty to protect children from abuse for the last full year which figures are available, broken down by (i) physical abuse, (ii) emotional abuse, (iii) sexual abuse and (iv) cases of neglect. Whilst we hold this information in case files and case notes, we unfortunately do not hold it in a readily accessible format. In order to provide a response to you, we would need to manually trawl approximately 400 case files for the time frame you have requested. The manual trawl would take longer than 18 hours to do so this element of your request is exempt under section 12 of the Freedom of information Act. Section 12 (1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit. This limit is currently set at £450 (which is calculated on the basis of 18 hours of work at £25 per hour). In accordance with section 17 (5) of the Freedom of Information Act this is a refusal notice of your request. Section 17 (7) (a) of the Freedom of Information Act states that public authorities must provide applicants with particulars of how they may complain about the handling of their request for information should they wish to. Any such complaint should be directed to the Data & Information Management, Governance and Security Officer, 7th Floor, Merton House, Stanley Road, Bootle, L20 3UU. Should you choose to request a review of the decision taken and are dissatisfied following the authority’s review, you are entitled under section 17 (7) (b) of the Act to apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision notice. Yours sincerely Catherine Larkin Who do local authorities protect children from? 28th December 2013 |