Reasons For Sharing Information
No professional should assume that someone else will pass on information and as a consequence refrain from doing so, when they judge that the information may be critical for the safety or wellbeing of an adult.
Sharing information appropriately between organisations is part of day-to-day safeguarding practice: organisations need to share safeguarding information with the right people at the right time to provide co-ordinated input to adults with care and support needs who are at risk of abuse or neglect, whilst also considering the prevention of abuse or neglect.
Information can only be shared for the following purposes:
- promote well-being
- prevent death or serious harm
- coordinate effective and efficient responses to assessed need
- enable early interventions to prevent the escalation of risk of harm
- prevent abuse and harm that may increase the need for care and support
- maintain and improve good practice in safeguarding adults, reveal patterns of abuse that were previously undetected and that could identify others at risk of abuse
- identify low-level concerns that may reveal people at risk of abuse
- help people to access the right kind of support to reduce risk and promote wellbeing
- help identify people who may pose a risk to others and, where possible, work to reduce offending behaviour
- reduce organisational risk and protect reputation
Appropriate information sharing is essential to provide a coordinated response in respect of adults with care and support needs who may be at risk or experiencing abuse and neglect irrespective of whether they are receiving care and support or not. Any information should be shared on a “need to know” basis and with a view to being:
- under the statutory obligations to investigate the risk to adults with care and support needs set out in the Care Act 2014
- is in the interests of the Data Subject e.g. in relation to their health
- in the public interest to prevent harm to others
The seven golden rules of information sharing are:
- the DPA, UK GDPR and other legislation are not a barrier to sharing information but provides a framework to ensure that personal information about living persons is shared appropriately
- be open and honest with the person from the outset about why what and how and with whom information will be shared or could be shared and seek their agreement, unless it is unsafe or inappropriate to do so (see below re consent)
- seek advice where appropriate
- share with consent where appropriate and where possible respect the wishes of those whom do not consent to share confidential information (see below re consent)
- consider safety and wellbeing – base your information sharing decision on considerations of the safety and well- being of the person and others who may be affected by their actions
- necessary, proportionate, relevant, accurate timely and secure ensure that the information which you share is necessary for the purpose which you are sharing it, shared only with those organisations who need to have it, accurate up to date and shared in a timely fashion
- information should be shared for a particular purpose. It should not be forwarded on, (even to another organisation) without careful consideration that it is appropriate to do so. There may be a reason why information should not be disseminated further (Checks must be made with the source of the information, the data controller, and prior to forwarding on information, save in an emergency)