A new team is being created in Huddersfield for police, health, education and social care services to share sensitive information.
But each profession won’t be able to access each other’s database.
Instead the team will work from a secure room - the location yet to be decided - somewhere in either Huddersfield council offices or the police station.
Dubbed the MASH team - Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs - they will lead on tip-offs to police and social services that concern safeguarding and child protection.
The team will have access to high levels of information and will analyse it and be able to act on it sooner.
It will be Spring 2015 before the team is expected to be officially formed.
Clr Cahal Burke, chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel for Children and Young People, said: “This is a relatively simple idea, it seems crazy this hasn’t happened long ago.
“It’s going to be a good thing for all agencies so I hope things move quickly on this.”
Pauline Martin, Kirklees Service Manager in Family Support and Child Protection, said there were barriers for services accessing a database of another agency: “This will allow us to have a coordinated response to safeguarding issues and bring together police, children’s social care, education and health.
“It will involve sensitive data, there are issues around having access to such data and it has been fraught with difficulties so we’ve set very clear protocols on sharing information.”
West Yorkshire Police has already taken such steps in Calderdale and Wakefield, as have health services there, but Kirklees Council hopes the MASH team will be based in a council office instead of a police station, unlike elsewhere.
Mrs Martin added: “We believe we have found a suitable room, where everyone can be assured it is secure and only accredited people can access.
“The team will analyse the information on a daily basis rather than having set meetings, and it will lead to a speedier response in safeguarding activity.”
Similar teams nationally have seen turnaround of cases halved.
