Information sharing is key to the Government’s goal of delivering better, more efficient public services that are co-ordinated around the needs of children, young people and families. It's essential to enable early intervention and preventative work, for safeguarding and promoting welfare, and for wider public protection.
Practitioners need to share information as part of their day-to-day practice, so it's important that they understand when, why and how they should share information. Practitioners must use their professional judgement when deciding whether or not, and what, to share.
The revised HM Government Information Sharing Guidance aims to support good practice in information sharing by offering clarity on when and how information can be shared legally and professionally. The guidance is most relevant to those who have to make case-by-case decisions about whether and what information to share. It is also for managers and advisers who support practitioners in their decision-making.
A wide variety of stakeholders were involved in the development of the updated guidance, from across all sectors and at all levels, from policy makers to front-line staff. When the guidance was published in October 2008, it had been formally endorsed by 25 organisations.
The full guidance, together with the latest factsheet and question and answer sheet on information sharing are available below.
