Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) work to promote sharing data to safeguard children

Everyone working with children and young people has a clear responsibility: to safeguard them from harm. But when it comes to sharing personal or sensitive information as part of that process, many people feel nervous they will fall foul of data protection laws.

At the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), we know data sharing can be a vital element of the safeguarding process. We want to help improve child safeguarding by ensuring those working in this field are empowered to share data in an appropriate, safe and lawful way. We’ve made a promise that people will not get in trouble with us if they share information to protect children and young people at risk of serious harm.

The need to improve data sharing practices has been highlighted in recent serious case reviews across the UK where children have died or been seriously harmed through abuse or neglect. Poor information-sharing among organisations and agencies is too often one of the factors contributing to failures to protect the children.

Most schools in Wales will be signed up to the Wales Accord on Sharing Personal Information (WASPI) which helps frontline staff confidently set up routine data sharing arrangements with other relevant service providers, such as those involved in multi-agency partnerships to support children and families. WASPI reflects ICO guidance, and we welcome the support it provides to data sharing that complies with the law. Your Data Protection Officer will be able to guide you through your school’s responsibilities for data sharing.  

But what about those occasions when the disclosure of a child’s data could be vital to keeping them safe, but your school does not yet have a relevant data sharing agreement in place? Or when there’s an urgent need to share data to safeguard a child?

We have launched a myth-busting campaign called ‘Think. Check. Share.’ which demonstrates how data protection law can help organisations to share personal information when required to safeguard children and young people.

We are here to support frontline workers undertaking vital safeguarding roles. We believe our work through the ‘Think. Check. Share.’ campaign will help empower people to share data in an appropriate, safe and lawful way. We’re providing the reassurance that no one will get into trouble with the ICO for trying to do the right thing by sharing information with the relevant authorities to protect children and young people at risk of serious harm.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you can use the marketing materials we’ve produced to help spread this important, ‘Think. Check. Share.’ message. Our toolkit of free resources promotes responsible data sharing, including posters, videos, infographics and content for social media, available in Welsh and English.

The campaign follows a 10-step practical guide published in September, which outlines how organisations can safely and lawfully share information to safeguard children and young people from physical, emotional or mental harm.

Please see below a summary of the steps and visit our website to for more details and working examples.

• Step 1: Be clear about how data protection can help you share information to safeguard a child.
• Step 2: Identify your objective for sharing information, and share the information you need to, in order to safeguard a child.
• Step 3: Develop clear and secure policies and systems for sharing information.
• Step 4: Be clear about transparency and individual rights.
• Step 5: Assess the risks and share as needed.
• Step 6: Enter into a data sharing agreement.
• Step 7: Follow the data protection principles.
• Step 8: Share information using the right lawful basis.
• Step 9: Share information in an emergency.
• Step 10: Read our data sharing code of practice.