Executive Summary
Working alongside the Thames Valley Police data team, our team designed and delivered the analytics data product for Operation Paramount, a groundbreaking multi-agency initiative to identify children affected by parental imprisonment.
Prior to this initiative, identifying children with imprisoned parents relied on manual processes and discussions across agencies, with teams fighting through data sharing challenges to piece together information. The charity partner Children Heard and Seen could only reach families through self-referral or word-of-mouth. Operation Paramount set out to change this by linking HM Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) data with police records to proactively identify affected families - and our role was to build the data product that made this possible.
Our work encompassed designing the data model, defining the matching criteria between HMPPS and police datasets, building the data product, and enabling the identification dashboards used by operational teams.
Since launching, Operation Paramount has identified over 1,300 individual children across Thames Valley, with 55% of families accepting support referrals. The project has received the Stephen Lloyd Award (2023) and was cited in the Children (Parental Imprisonment) Bill 2024.
Challenge
Thames Valley Police and Thames Valley Violence Prevention Partnership serve 2.17 million residents across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. Growing recognition of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) had highlighted the need for early intervention to support vulnerable children, yet a significant gap existed in identifying children with imprisoned parents.
The Invisible Population
Children with imprisoned parents were systematically overlooked. Identifying them relied on manual work and discussions across agencies, with teams fighting through data sharing issues to try to find information. The charity partner Children Heard and Seen could only reach families through self-referral or word-of-mouth. This meant vulnerable children were missing critical early intervention during one of the most traumatic events in their young lives.
The Analytics Challenge
Turning the ambition of Operation Paramount into reality required a robust analytical foundation. HMPPS prison data and police indexes existed as entirely separate systems with no established linkage for safeguarding purposes. The data challenge was significant: complex family structures, name variations, inconsistent data quality across source systems, and no precedent for using prison intake data to identify families left behind. A purpose-built data product was needed to bridge these systems and reliably identify children with imprisoned parents.
Solution
Our engagement centred on designing and delivering the analytics data product at the heart of Operation Paramount. Working with the Thames Valley Police data team, we shaped the approach across four key areas.
Data Model Design
We designed the data model to link HMPPS prison intake records with police records of children in the Thames Valley region. This involved mapping the data landscape across both source systems, understanding the structures and relationships within each, and creating a model capable of representing the complex familial links needed for reliable identification.
Matching Criteria Definition
A critical element of the data product was defining the matching criteria between the two datasets. We developed an initial prototype approach, establishing the rules and thresholds for linking prison intake records to police records of children. This MVP was designed with scope for future tuning as the programme matured and real-world data informed refinements.
Data Product
With the data model and matching criteria established, we built the data product. This brought together data from HMPPS and police systems into a structured, queryable form, enabling the reliable identification of children with imprisoned parents across Thames Valley.
Identification Dashboards
The data product feeds identification dashboards used by operational teams to act on matched records. These dashboards provide the interface through which the programme’s operational processes - managed by the police and partnership - are initiated.
Technical Implementation
The implementation followed a phased approach, progressing from discovery through iterative development to operational deployment.
Discovery and Data Landscape
The initial phase focused on thoroughly understanding the data landscape within both HMPPS and police systems. We mapped the available data elements, assessed data quality across source systems, and identified the fields and relationships required for reliable matching.
Iterative Development
With the data landscape mapped, the data model and matching criteria were developed iteratively. As the data product revealed what was possible for the first time, demand and requirements evolved - stakeholders could see the art of the possible and responded with new questions and priorities. Each iteration expanded the scope and utility of the identification process.
Data Product Build and Deployment
The data product was built to bring matched data together in a structured, queryable form. This analytical layer underpins the identification dashboards and provides the foundation upon which the programme’s operational processes depend.
Programme Context
Operation Paramount is a multi-agency initiative, and our analytics delivery sits within a broader programme of work led by Thames Valley Police and the Violence Prevention Partnership. The operational processes - including officer contact with families, referral pathways to the Children Heard and Seen charity, and regional rollout across Thames Valley - are managed by the programme partners. Our contribution provides the analytical foundation that makes these processes possible.
The programme has been progressively rolled out across Thames Valley since 2022, with full coverage targeted by the end of financial year 2025/26.
Results and Benefits
The analytics data product we delivered provides the foundation upon which the wider programme’s outcomes depend. The following results reflect the impact of the overall Operation Paramount initiative, enabled by the data product.
Programme Outcomes
Between May 2022 and November 2025:
- 1,306 individual children identified across Thames Valley
- 1,853 occasions of recognition (some children affected by parental imprisonment on multiple occasions)
- 55% acceptance rate for support referrals, significantly higher than word-of-mouth approaches
- Over 260 children received direct support from Children Heard and Seen
Demographic analysis revealed that 49% of identified children were primary school age (5-11 years), 24% were in early years (0-4 years), and 27% were aged 12 or over. Approximately 5.9% were affected by maternal imprisonment.
Wider Impact
The initiative has driven systemic change beyond the immediate identification of vulnerable children:
- Evidence Generation: Statistical cohort analysis published examining education and social care outcomes for over 200 Oxfordshire children
- Policy Influence: Cited in the Children (Parental Imprisonment) Bill 2024, the first proposed legislation for this population
- Replication: Adopted by West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership and Avon and Somerset Police, with other forces exploring implementation
Recognition
- Stephen Lloyd Award 2023: National recognition for the initiative’s impact
- Sector Leadership: First and only initiative of its kind in the UK to systematically identify children affected by parental imprisonment
Lessons Learned
- Data Can Drive Compassion: A well-designed data product can enable fundamentally human outcomes when built with clear safeguarding objectives in mind
- Iterative Refinement: Giving stakeholders time to understand what is possible - and the space to react to that - is essential when delivering a first-of-its-kind data product
- Understanding the Data Landscape: Investing time in thoroughly mapping both source systems before building paid dividends in data product quality
- Analytics Within a Partnership: Delivering analytics within a multi-agency programme requires close alignment with operational partners to ensure the data product meets their needs
Wrapping Up
Operation Paramount demonstrates how purposeful analytics can address previously intractable social challenges. By designing and delivering the data product that links prison and police data for the first time, we provided the analytical foundation upon which this initiative depends.
The 1,300 children identified represent families who previously would have navigated the trauma of parental imprisonment without systematic support. The data model and matching criteria we built transformed what was theoretically possible into a working analytical product - one that operational teams use daily to identify vulnerable children and connect families with support.
The initiative’s citation in proposed legislation and adoption by other police forces speaks to the value of getting the analytical foundations right. Our contribution sits within a broader, multi-agency effort, and the programme’s success reflects the combined work of Thames Valley Police, the Violence Prevention Partnership, Children Heard and Seen, and our analytics delivery.
