Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is she taking to ensure that the data held on the CNIS register is not shared with an abuser who retains their entitledment via parental responsibility.

​​The department recognises that those previously affected by abuse may have concerns about the information collected for the Children Not in School registers. The department will set out local authorities’ data protection responsibilities clearly in the new statutory guidance, particularly where children and parents have experienced abuse, and will consider whether additional training is required in our training package to local authorities.​

​It is important that local authorities can identify all children not in school in their areas, and children who have experienced abuse may be amongst those most in need of support. Existing laws, including the Data Protection Act and UK-GDPR, will apply to all data that is processed as part of the duty to maintain registers.​

​The department will continue to engage with the Information Commissioner’s Office to ensure that appropriate mitigations are in place for any risks identified, and with organisations such as Women’s Aid, Safe Lives, and the NSPCC on these issues. ​