Recommendation 48

We heard that some existing processes were in place for sharing data such as in the instance of suspected cases of domestic or financial abuse. Margarita Morrison, Area Director, Work and Health Services Scotland at the DWP stated that the Department ‘use data mining to make sure we pick up any key words of concern’.122 The DWP then use this information to ‘work with all our partners across Scotland, including local authorities, police and social work departments’123 to ensure that the DWP are offering as much tailored support to individuals as possible. This suggests that in particular instances, it is possible to develop collaborative process to successfully identify and share client data to improve services.