Home / Education / Digital Hub Sparks Child Data Concerns
Digital Hub Sparks Child Data Concerns
7 Jan
Summary
- Preschools in NSW are uploading children's data to a new digital hub.
- Concerns exist about who can access this sensitive information.
- Employees of third-party CCMS companies lack mandatory child safety checks.
New South Wales is implementing a digital data hub for its 6,000 preschools and long daycare centers. This initiative aims to streamline data collection and reporting, drawing information from various third-party Child Care Management System (CCMS) programs used by early learning providers. However, the rollout has raised significant privacy concerns among educators and parents regarding the safeguarding of children's personal details.
Concerns center on the accessibility of data within CCMS platforms. Unlike preschool staff, employees of these third-party companies are not mandated to have Working With Children Checks (WWCC), despite handling sensitive information such as enrollment details, consent forms, and attendance records. This lack of a vetting process is a major sticking point for preschools, with some administrators expressing a preference for traditional, more contained filing systems.
While the NSW Education Department states that digital data storage is not new and CCMS companies are subject to privacy laws, independent researchers have highlighted potential vulnerabilities. One researcher discovered his son's data remained accessible via a public URL even after he had left preschool, illustrating ongoing data security risks. The department maintains that centers can opt out, but many find operating without a digital platform increasingly difficult due to regulatory demands.
