The store room concerned was immediately re-secured, and the documents it contained removed. They are now held at a secure council office, and are being thoroughly and urgently reviewed to determine their contents. In order to give full assurance to residents, we are currently exploring independent oversight of the review process.
The outcome of that review will determine the council’s next steps, including whether it will be necessary to notify anyone who may be affected and the Information Commissioner’s Office. We will advise residents on the progress of this review.
From an initial assessment, no identifiable personal data relating to any Lambeth looked after children and/or children in foster care has been found amongst the documents. One of the documents appears to be an Area Child Protection Committee procedure manual. This would not contain sensitive material but we will need to go through all the materials stored to understand what was stored in the facility.
At this point, the full assessment has not yet concluded, but the documents appear to be largely council housing related. If there is any documentation relevant to the IICSA this will be disclosed to the Inquiry.
