Child Safeguarding and AI: Data protection and data sharing

Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a hot topic or a buzzword in child protection - it's a reality that is changing how we safeguard children. But what does AI really mean for child safeguarding, and how is it reshaping our approach to protecting vulnerable children?

Our recent webinar, ‘Child Safeguarding and AI: What do you need to know?’ brought together experts from health, law enforcement, and data protection. Together, they discussed how AI could support child safeguarding efforts in the UK, as well as addressing the concerns about data sharing in this new technological landscape. From the potential benefits to the ethical considerations, our experts covered the full spectrum of AI's impact on child protection.

A key theme throughout all three presentations and the Q&A session was data protection; in particular, how individuals, and AI, can remain compliant whilst supporting child safeguarding efforts.

The ICO have created a 10 step guide to support these efforts:

• Step 1: Be clear about how data protection can help you share information to safeguard a child.
• Step 2: Identify your objective for sharing information, and share the information you need to, in order to safeguard a child.
• Step 3: Develop clear and secure policies and systems for sharing information.
• Step 4: Be clear about transparency and individual rights.
• Step 5: Assess the risks and share as needed.
• Step 6: Enter into a data sharing agreement.
• Step 7: Follow the data protection principles.
• Step 8: Share information using the right lawful basis.
• Step 9: Share information in an emergency.
• Step 10: Read our data sharing code of practice.

These steps provide crucial, practical guidance on how to ensure compliance, whilst still supporting critical data sharing activity. It also provides a framework to ensure safeguarding tech (in this case, CESIUM), is fully compliant. Ultimately, “data protection is a framework to help you share information. It doesn’t prevent you from sharing information to safeguard a child.”

With CESIUM, we have developed a safeguarding solution that is not only compliant, but improves efficiency, highlights risk and ultimately provides insights that support critical decision making.

With over 200 attendees at this webinar, it is clear there is an appetite for information on just how AI can support such a critical area of work for safeguarding professionals. The webinar highlighted the transformative potential of AI in child safeguarding while emphasising the need for ethical considerations and robust data protection practices. As we move forward, it's clear that AI tools like CESIUM can significantly enhance our ability to protect vulnerable children. However, their implementation must be guided by a commitment to privacy, accountability, and professional judgement.

The future of child safeguarding still lies in the irreplaceable human elements of care, experience, and ethical decision-making, but now with the added support of intelligent and responsibly used AI. As we continue to develop and refine these tools, we must remain focused on our ultimate goal: ensuring the safety and well-being of every child.