Information sharing is essential for effective safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. It is a key factor identified in many safeguarding practice reviews.

Resources

Download the Government Guidelines: Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents, and carers (July 2018) 

Download the Checklist for all external school visitors

Information Management

View the IRMS Information Management Toolkit that has been created for schools to manage their information in line with the current legislative frameworks.

• Module 1 consists of the base toolkit designed to assist schools under local authority control in their compliance with data protection, freedom of information, and other related legislation.
• Module 2 consists of additional information which is designed to assist Academies in their compliance with data protection and freedom of information legislation as well as business requirements. (In development)
• Module 3 consists of additional information which is designed to assist independent schools to manage their records in line with legislative requirements. (In development)

The seven golden rules to sharing information

1. Remember that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018, and human rights law are not barriers to justified information sharing, but provide a framework to ensure that personal information about living individuals is shared appropriately.
2. Be open and honest with the individual (and/or their family where appropriate) from the outset about why, what, how, and with whom information will, or could be shared, and seek their agreement unless it is unsafe or inappropriate to do so.
3. Seek advice from other practitioners, or your information governance lead, if you are in any doubt about sharing the information concerned, without disclosing the identity of the individual where possible.
4. Where possible, share information with consent, and where possible, respect the wishes of those who do not consent to having their information shared. Under the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 you may share information without consent if, in your judgment, there is a lawful basis to do so, such as where safety may be at risk. You will need to base your judgement on the facts of the case. When you are sharing or requesting personal information from someone, be clear of the basis upon which you are doing so. Where you do not have consent, be mindful that an individual might not expect information to be shared.
5. Consider safety and well-being and base your information sharing decisions on considerations of the safety and well-being of the individual and others who may be affected by their actions.
6. Necessary, Proportionate, Relevant, Accurate, Timely, and Secure; Ensure that the information you share is necessary for the purpose for which you are sharing it, is shared only with those individuals who need to have it, is accurate and up-to-date, is shared in a timely fashion, and is shared securely (see principles).
7. Keep a record of your decision and the reasons for it – whether it is to share information or not. If you decide to share, then record what you have shared, with whom, and for what purpose.