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-today 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 government's information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners and the ICO's data sharing checklist 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's also for managers and advisers who support practitioners in their decision making.