 4 See page 9 of this document for further advice on appropriate lawful basis or use the Lawful basis interactive guidance tool | ICO. 5 Data protection officers | ICO 6 Introduction About this advice This HM Government advice outlines the importance of sharing information about children, young people and their families in order to safeguard children. It should be read alongside the statutory guidance Working together to safeguard children 20236. The advice is non-statutory and replaces the HM Government Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers published in July 2018. This advice focuses on the legal framework and how it supports information sharing for the purposes of safeguarding children from abuse and neglect. It does not detail the additional professional responsibilities that might apply for different practitioners. Practitioners should consider this advice alongside guidance specific to their profession or service area. For example, doctors should consider the General Medical Council guidance, ‘Protecting Children and Young People’7 and those working in schools and colleges should consider Keeping Children Safe in Education8. Other relevant guidance documents, such as the Eight Caldicott principles9, and useful materials can be found in Annex B. Definitions (as defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023) A child is defined as anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. ‘Children’ therefore means ‘children and young people’ throughout the Advice. We use the term ‘practitioners’ in this Advice to include all individuals who work with children, young people and their families in any capacity. What is this advice for? The purpose of this advice is to: • instil confi