The connector
The connector matches the records that different services already hold, so a council can see when two records describe the same person.
The problem it answers, with its sources, is on the problem page.
Tools that use the connector: London referrals and the private rented homes check.
Our proposal. The sources on the problem page do not describe the connector.
What the connector is
The connector is a record matching engine. It links the records that different services already hold, and it shows how sure each link is and why.
It is designed to run inside each council's own systems. The council keeps its data and its setup, and each service keeps the systems it already uses. The connector sits beside them and replaces nothing.
It is designed so that councils and their partners share through one gate. The gate gives each caller only what its access level allows, and it logs every request. Two councils that use the same access levels can share with each other through the same gate, with no records copied.
New uses plug in as packs. A pack adds a use case with no change to the core.
How it works
Connect
It reads data from the systems that services already use.
Clean
It puts names and addresses into one form, so records can be compared.
Link
It links records that describe the same household or home. Each link has a score and its reasons.
Review
A person reviews each link that is not certain. No uncertain link stays automatic.
Share
A gate releases only what each caller's access level allows.
Record
An audit log records every release and every refusal. A changed line shows.
Uses
Working tools
They work today, on real public data.
- London referralsHow the 33 London councils use the homelessness duty to refer, from the government's own figures.
- Private rented homes checkLeads to check for privately rented homes, from open data, for Southwark and Enfield.
In build
The council demo, on made-up data.
- Homelessness preventionA household at risk of homelessness is spotted early. A hospital checks if it is known. A referral lands on the right record.
Possible uses
Ideas from our plans. None of them is built.
- Council to councilA neighbouring council asks the same gate, and no records are copied.
- Hospital dischargeHealth and social care see the same household before a discharge.
- Early supportServices see when one household has several problems at once.
- Fuel and water costsHouseholds that can get help with energy or water bills.
- Benefit take-upHouseholds that can claim support and do not.
- Council tax discountsChecks that each discount matches the household's records.
The council demo
What each member of staff sees depends on their role. Some see the full record. Some see only that a match exists. Some see nothing.
The aim is for services to spot people who need help earlier. The demo runs on made-up data.
The demo follows one story. A household at risk of homelessness is spotted early. A hospital checks if it is known. A referral lands on the right record.
- Linking
- We link people and households across four sources with Splink, a record linkage tool. We measure the accuracy against the known truth.
- The sharing gate
- Every request goes through a gate. It checks who is asking and why, returns only the fields their tier allows, and logs the request.
- Partners at different tiers
- In the demo, a hospital, a probation office and a housing association each sit at a different tier. A referral lands on the right household.
- The screen
- Three views: households at risk, one household's linked record, and the access log.
- Governance
- A privacy risk assessment template and a data sharing agreement for the homelessness prevention purpose, ready for a council's data protection officer.
Levels of access
Each tile is one record. What a member of staff sees depends on their tier.
Full record
Match found, identity hidden
No access