Information seeking
“Information sharing in a safeguarding context means the appropriate and secure exchange of personal information, between practitioners and other individuals with a responsibility for children, in order to keep them safe from harm.” Information Sharing, Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services for children, young people, parents and carers
Setting the scene
As we started the journey through Information Sharing Advice for Safeguarding Practitioners, you might have noticed that one of the intended aims of the document is to encourage all practitioners to recognise that sharing information well is something that we should all be doing together. Two of its objectives are to make sure that we:
- work together more effectively with colleagues, across all partner agencies
- understand what we all mean when we talk about sharing information safely; speaking the same language as our partners (across adult and children’s services) will make all the difference to the quality and adequacy of the information we share
But this guidance doesn’t just apply to those of you who are working on the front line, making daily decisions about what to share, how to share it and who to share it with. It also applies to leaders and managers who the guidance says should ‘support the development of process, policy and training… creating a collective understanding of information sharing’
What is its relevance to me?
Sometimes the importance of strategy, policy and guidance development to practitioners on the front might doesn’t seem immediately obvious, something that leaders and managers do which doesn’t always seem relevant to your day job! But it’s worth taking a look at how the information sharing guidance encourages senior leaders to support you by providing a safety net, a structure which will help you make sometimes difficult decisions about who you can ask for information, who you can share it with, and how to manage obstacles that you might face when trying to do that.
Take some time to explore with your leaders, if they’re providing that safety net, by doing what the guidance advises them to do.
Are Local Safeguarding Partners considering how to build relationships with other organisations, which may cross organisational boundaries to make sure that information can be shared in a timely and proportionate way?
Are leaders and managers looking at ways to make sure that feedback can be provided to partners about the quality of the information they’ve shared and the way they’ve shared it?
Does your organisation have an information sharing framework which:
- has been developed using a data protection impact assessment, to minimise data protection risks
- allows you to know in advance which agencies or organisations you can share information with
- makes sure you’re working within agreed data sharing agreements
What more can I learn, and how will that help me to share information safely?
30 Minute learning activity
Have a discussion in your team about any information sharing agreements in place within your organisation which affect your work. If you do have such an agreement, seek it out and discuss it in a team meeting. If you don’t, check that out with your manager and, if an agreement of this kind would help you to make safer decisions, encourage them to provide you with one!