mation using the right lawful basis’ of the ICO ten step guide for more information.) Where the information to be shared is “special category data15” it will also be necessary to find a condition for processing the information under Article 916 of the UK GDPR. Safeguarding of children and individuals at risk is one of the substantial public interest conditions under which the sharing of special category data may be authorised under Article 9. Further guidance on the processing of special category data is available on the ICO website17. Why consent is not usually the most appropriate lawful basis in a safeguarding context Consent should not be seen as the default lawful basis for sharing personal information in a child safeguarding context, as it is unlikely to be appropriate in most cases. The UK GDPR sets a high standard for consent to be used as a lawful basis; it must be specific, freely given, unambiguous, time limited and capable of being withdrawn by the individual at any time. Using consent as a lawful basis means an individual has given agreement for personal information about themselves, or their child’s personal information, to be shared or processed for a purpose where they have a clear choice about its use. It also means that the individual is able to withdraw their consent at any time (in which case the information would need to be deleted). These conditions are unlikely to be present in situations where practitioners are often under a professional duty to record information – irrespective of the wishes of the child or their family – in order to justify the decisions and actions they take in relation to the child’s needs, and where the overarching consideration will be whether information needs to be shared to safeguard a child where there is an established