A note on information sharing and GDPR

All practitioners must have due regard for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, these are outlined in the Government guidance “Information sharing” produced in 2018 which outlines advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers.

Information sharing is essential for effective safeguarding and planning for support for all children and young people. See page 13 of the Information Sharing Advice to Practitioners document which addresses some of the key Myths around information sharing e.g.

The GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 are barriers to sharing information:

No – the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 do not prohibit the collection and sharing of personal information. They provide a framework to ensure that personal information is shared appropriately. In particular, the Data Protection Act 2018 balances the rights of the information subject (the individual whom the information is about) and the possible need to share information about them.

Never assume sharing is prohibited – it is essential to consider this balance in every case. You should always keep a record of what you have shared.

In February 2021 a series of senior colleagues from across WCC which included Local Authority (LA) Education and Social Services, Early Years Providers, Schools, Colleges and Academies convened to co-produce a series of principle and establish best practice in relation to information sharing. This is summarised in the Information Sharing Protocol and WCC requests that all providers follow these key principles to create a consistent approach.

There are key documents which support the delivery of these key principles and these are available here:

Information Sharing Protocol 2021.pdf

WCC Learner Information Form Primary.docx

WCC Secondary Learner Information Form.docx

Warwickshire Early Years Learner Information Form.docx

Warwickshire County Council Children Missing from Early Education.doc

File Transfer Record and Receipt (1).docx