Information Sharing and Consent

Where possible, share information with consent, and where possible, respect the wishes of those who do not consent to having their information shared. Under the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 you may share information without consent if, in your judgement, there is a lawful basis to do so, such as where safety may be at risk.

Fears about sharing information cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children at risk of abuse or neglect. All staff must take responsibility for sharing the information they hold and cannot assume that someone else will pass on information, which may be critical to keeping a child safe.

When safeguarding children, you do not need the child's consent to share information if you feel they are at risk. In most cases it is better to be open and transparent with the child and their family. Ask for consent, but if they refuse you can inform them you will still be submitting a referral without their consent, based on a safeguarding risk. Do not ask for consent if you feel this would put yourself or the child(ren) in danger.

When Safeguarding adults, you must always ask permission from the adult to share concerns and people have the right to refuse permission. Referrals can be made without consent in special circumstances, but you need to speak to a Safeguarding Officer to discuss the circumstances.

Record any decisions that have been made around information sharing, whether you have chosen to share the information or not, record the reasons for your choice.

Further Guidance

Further guidance can be found at Lancashire County Council -

Policy & Practice - Children's Safeguarding Assurance Partnership (Safeguardingpartnership.org.uk)

Policies and Procedures -Lancashire Safeguarding Children and Adults Board

Supporting Policies Other policies referred to within this document or supporting safeguarding actions include:

1) Whistleblowing Policy

2) Supervision Policy

3) Children and Young People Policy

4) Code of Conduct

5) Volunteer Policy

These policies can be viewed on the Learning Hub.