ssary, fair and proportionate, and provides a framework to help you to do so25. While it is essential to ensure that there is a lawful basis in data protection law for sharing information about adults related to or linked to the child, as stated earlier consent is unlikely to be the appropriate one to use. It’s also important to note that it will not be appropriate to inform those adults if doing so will increase the risk of a child suffering harm. 24 Data sharing: a code of practice | ICO 25 See pages 5-8 of this advice for more detail on data protection law. It is often necessary to share small pieces of information regularly and proactively so that practitioners can build a picture of what is happening in a child’s life 19 Information seeking Practitioners should be proactive and should seek out relevant information from other practitioners and agencies or organisations to build an accurate picture of a child and family’s life. Effective information seeking enables pieces of information to be shared, gathered, and triangulated across agencies or organisations working with a child and family. Practitioners should be professionally curious about the information they hold, and the information other practitioners may hold about a child. This may involve checking with agencies to build a fuller understanding of a family’s context or the risks of harm. You should be responsive to practitioners seeking information and share relevant information with practitioners when it supports the safeguarding of a child. Being alert to different forms of abuse and neglect and taking action All practitioners should be alert to the signs and triggers of abuse and neglect. Children may be vulnerable to neglect, abuse or exploitation from within their family and, or from individuals or peer