Information sharing

Sharing information is a vital part of early intervention for children and young people with additional needs. It is also essential to protect children and young people from suffering harm from abuse or neglect and to prevent them from offending.

It is important that practitioners understand when, why and how they should share information so that they can do so confidently and appropriately as part of their day-to-day practice.

Improving information sharing is a cornerstone of the Every Child Matters strategy - to improve outcomes for children and young people. The Children Act 2004 sets out clear expectations for local action to improve information sharing.

Many practitioners recognise the importance of information sharing and there is much good practice. However there is also uncertainty around the legal framework, particularly as children’s services move towards more multi-agency working. We have produced clear guidance was needed in order to support this integrated approach.

The guidance covers the following topics:

• Consent
• The legal framework, including the Data Protection Act, Human Rights Act, Duty of Confidence
• Questions to ask when sharing information
• A checklist of requirements for information sharing
• Some simple flowcharts to check if information sharing is compliant with legislation and common law

Download the Information sharing guidance document(pdf, 372KB).

Government documents:

• Information sharing - guidance for managers and practitioners
• Information sharing - pocket guide