In our increasingly datafied world, the responsible handling of data for and about children has become a critical issue. UNICEF, governments, and its partners acknowledge the vital importance of acting to advance children’s well-being while preserving their rights and agency. We engage with partners around the world to inform practices around data (re)use for and about children. 

In June, the RD4C team travelled to Beijing, where UNICEF China organized a social policy salon. Attendees discussed how to better understand and respond to children's development needs through data in the field of social protection. Representatives from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and six local civil affairs departments attended the meeting and shared their experiences in tracking the wellbeing of low-income populations and the development of a child module.   

Reflecting on this recent policy forum in Beijing as well as past experiences in several other contexts, we have come up with three broad clusters of rationales that highlight the significance of data responsibility for children in the context of government owned, administrative data systems. 

1. Building Trust to Enable and Improve Service Delivery 

Trust is foundational in any relationship, especially when it comes to children and their data. Responsible data management fosters trust among children, parents, and the broader community, enabling more effective service delivery.  

Trust in data practices means that individuals and communities believe their data is being handled securely, ethically and efficiently. For children, whose understanding of data and its implications may be limited, trust is even more vital. When parents and guardians believe that their children's data is being managed responsibly, they are more likely to engage with and support services and programs that require them to provide their and their children’s data. 

Without trust in how data is handled, children and their caregivers can adopt “privacy-protective behaviour”. This behaviour occurs when individuals or communities take actions to protect their privacy, often by limiting their engagement with services they perceive as untrustworthy.  

This can mean that children don’t receive the services they need. 

By establishing and maintaining trust through responsible data practices, organisations can prevent privacy protective behaviour and ensure that children and communities overall have access to essential services. 

Along the same lines, responsible data practices support an organisation's reputation as a responsible player, which equally contributes to trust in the institution. In an era where data breaches and privacy scandals can significantly damage credibility and trust, demonstrating a commitment to responsible data management is crucial.  

This reputation can enhance relationships with stakeholders, including parents and caregivers, communities, and funding bodies. Transparency in data practices and a proactive approach to safeguarding children's data can significantly bolster an organisation's standing in the community, both at national and international level.

2. Enhancing Performance through Better System Design 

Another main objective of implementing more responsible data practices is improving performance of data systems and the quality of related services.  

Responsible data practices require organisations to think critically about their data management processes and what the data will be used for, to ensure their efforts make a (responsible) difference and drive impact.  

For that reason, a clear purpose and information needs should be defined from design stage on, though it is never too late to make improvements in responsible data practices with children’s best interests in mind. Determining an overarching purpose of the insights gained through data can be further used for policy making and improving the quality-of-service delivery.  

For example, data collected in the social protection sector can be used to identify children in need of support and also to track progress and determine eligibility to additional services and interventions tailored to their specific needs.  

By monitoring progress in purpose-driven systems, social protection programs can track the effectiveness of interventions, adjust strategies as needed, and ensure continuous improvement. Additionally, data allows for efficient resource allocation, ensuring that social assistance, basic health insurance and so forth essential support reach the children who need them most, thereby maximising the overall impact of social protection initiatives.

3. Protecting Children and Safeguarding them from Harm 

The protection of children and their rights is a fundamental rationale for responsible data practices. Children are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of data misuse and its potential harms, making it imperative to prioritise their safety, in the digital age that we live in.  

Data about children’s personal lives is particularly sensitive. Misuse of this data can lead to significant harm, including identity theft, exploitation, discrimination, psychological impact, population fatigue of providing data and a loss of trust in service providers as previously mentioned. Another potential harm is the missed use of data for social good and inefficiencies in handling data, that can lead to opportunities for intervention for example on a policy level not being identified and critical needs not addressed. Responsible data practices aim to mitigate these risks by implementing robust safeguards and ensuring that children's data is handled with utmost care. 

International conventions, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), mandate the protection of children's privacy and data. Adhering to these legal frameworks is not only a compliance issue but also a moral imperative to promote and protect children's well-being. 

Implementing Responsible Data Practices in Government-Owned Data Systems: Key Considerations 

The rationales mentioned above highlight the importance of implementing responsible data principles, especially when handling data for and about children. It also provided practical insights into how these principles can be translated into practices and policies.  

By exploring the three broad rationales—trust and reputation, performance of services and related data systems, and protection from harms—we highlighted the multifaceted benefits of prioritising responsible data for children.  

Trust enables effective service delivery by preventing privacy protective behaviour, and supporting an organisation's reputation as a responsible player fosters this trust. A focus on data responsibility by design enhances system performance from the outset on, with a clear purpose and defined impact paths of both the programme and the data management system in question. The insights gained from data, can be used by public services and policy makers to improve the quality of their offering with children and their families’ best interests at heart.  

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The bottom line here is responsible data management for children goes beyond mere compliance with existing regimes but requires a multifaceted approach intersecting with trust, performance, protection, and reputation, with a positive impact on children’s lives at the centre.  

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