publicSIRO

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has launched an inquiry after a memory stick containing highly confidential information about vulnerable children was found on a busy main road by a passerby.

Reports claim the memory stick contained dozens of sensitive council documents relating to foster carers, family court proceedings, parenting assessments, child custody arrangements and the psychological histories of children in care. The USB device was not encrypted or password-protected, in violation of the council’s IT security policy.

A Council spokesperson said: “The safety of children in our care is our priority. We have procedures for ensuring that confidential and sensitive data is kept as secure as possible.”

The incident follows the loss of 2,000 NHS patient records in Stoke-on-Trent earlier this month.

Source: The Sentinel, 27 March 2010.