Information Sharing Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services for children, young people, parents and carers May 2024 2 Contents The Seven golden rules for sharing information (including personal information): 4 Introduction 6 About this advice 6 Definitions (as defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023) 6 What is this advice for? 6 Who is this advice for? 7 Understanding “safeguarding” 7 Understanding “information sharing” 8 The importance of sharing information 8 Why data protection legislation does not prevent information sharing 9 Understanding the term ‘lawful basis’ 9 The lawful bases which are most relevant for practitioners working with children 9 Why consent is not usually the most appropriate lawful basis in a safeguarding context 10 The complexities of “consent” and why it causes confusion 11 How to share information and retain a trusted relationship with children and families 11 How the common law duty of confidentiality affects information sharing 12 How the Human Rights Act 1998 affects information sharing 13 Effective Information Sharing: Your Responsibilities 14 Information sharing responsibilities 14 Senior leader responsibilities 14 The importance of sharing information with colleagues outside of your agency or organisation 14 The importance of providing feedback to agencies or organisations about the information they have shared 15 The justification for sharing information to safeguard a child 15 Sharing information, including personal information, with other agencies or organisations 16 Data Sharing Agreements (DSA) 16 Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) 16 Knowing the amount of information to share 16 Who to contact if you are unsure whether to share information 17 Informing the people whose information you have sha