In Sweden where my research is performed, most if not all schools on all levels use a digital platform to communicate with children and their parents. It could be any type of communication, from personal communication regarding a child to information regarding homework for a class, what you need to bring to the field trip, and so on. In Sweden, having a law regarding compulsory school attendance between the age of 6 and 15, and also having a rather strict law regarding who could access the information regarding, the information transferred through these platforms are both important and under restricted access.
The problem I investigate is when this system meets a child with special needs. Especially if that child and its parents are supported through different services. Having a support family that the child lives with during periods of time or an institution that the child stays at temporarily. Because of the restricted access to the digital platforms they are unavailable within such arrangements, forcing schools to choose other forms of communication – mostly in the form of analog “contact books”. There are also information security issues when communicating information regarding the child's medical needs through digital platforms.
These problems with the use of digital platforms have led to some ad hoc solutions in Uppsala municipality, which is the focus of my investigation. In this poster, I will explain the process of communication and the consequences regarding information security and preservation of archives when a system forces users to use analog communication where digital communication is the norm.