How we share information in Durham

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people

All organisations working with children and their parents or carers have a responsibility to help keep children safe and well. This means:

• protecting children and young people from abuse and neglect
• identifying concerns early
• preventing harm and reducing risk
• promoting physical, emotional and mental wellbeing
• supporting children and young people with additional needs
• providing Early Help and intervention
• working collaboratively across agencies
• listening to and acting on children's views and experiences
• supporting children and young people to achieve their full potential

Multi-agency working

The way in which these organisations and agencies work together is known as Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements (MASAs). Robust arrangements help to ensure that information about a child, young person and their family is shared effectively, risk of harm is correctly identified and understood, and that children and families receive targeted services that meet their needs in a co-ordinated way. This includes children in care.

Preventing escalation

This means spotting worries early, sharing information appropriately, and providing the right support at the right time to stop things getting worse.

It applies to all agencies who have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children under section 11 of the Children Act 2004, for example:

• Local Authorities – including children and adult social care, housing, public health, licencing, and youth services.
• NHS trusts, Integrated Care Boards, and health services, including GPs, dentists, and other primary care providers.
• Police forces.
• Childcare, Early Years and Education Providers (Designated childcare or education providers for the purposes of section 16E3).
• Prison and Probation Services.
• Youth Justice Services and Youth Custody Services.
• Services commissioned by the Local Authority.

What does it mean?

Partners covered by the duty should focus on whether sharing information would help keep a child safe or well, rather than whether information can legally be shared.

Voluntary, Community and Private Sector organisations may not be covered by the Information Sharing Duty, but they, and those that are covered, still have a responsibility and lawful basis to share information where safeguarding concerns exist. For voluntary or private sectors, it is likely that the lawful bases ‘recognised legitimate interests’ or ‘legitimate interests’ may be appropriate.

This includes two-way information sharing with those covered by the duty and:

• charities
• community groups
• faith groups
• housing providers
• sports clubs
• independent providers
• private organisations

Yes.

Information should be shared where it may help:

• protect a child or young person from harm
• reduce risk
• prevent abuse or neglect
• support wellbeing
• enable Early Help

Yes.

Information may be shared where necessary to:

• protect other children or young people
• manage risk
• prevent abuse
• support safeguarding assessments
• enable multi-agency decision making

Yes.

Information about adults can be relevant where it helps professionals understand risks to a child or young person.

Examples include:

• domestic abuse
• substance misuse
• mental ill health
• violent behaviour
• Harm Outside the Home

Share it.

Small concerns may be significant when combined with information held by other agencies.

This is unlikely to be an issue if information is shared appropriately to protect a child or young person.

Failing to share information that could have prevented harm is a recurring theme in local and national learning. This needs to improve.

Yes.

Information sharing does not need to be reactive. Practitioners can proactively share information where safeguarding or wellbeing concerns exist.

Yes.

Historical concerns may help agencies identify:

• patterns of neglect
• escalating risk
• cumulative harm

Always record:

• what was shared
• why it was shared
• who it was shared with
• whether consent was sought
• your rationale for sharing the information

Myth: GDPR prevents information sharing

Reality: GDPR supports information sharing where safeguarding is a concern.

Myth: I need consent to share

Reality: Consent is not needed to share information where there are worries about safety or wellbeing.

Myth: Only statutory agencies can share safeguarding information

Reality: All organisations can share information when there are concerns about safety or wellbeing.

Myth: Someone else will report it

Reality: Your information may be the missing piece.

Myth: Minor worries do not matter

Reality: Small worries can build a bigger safeguarding picture.

Ask yourself, ‘will sharing this information help to’:

• protect someone from harm?
• improve wellbeing?
• assess or manage risk?
• prevent abuse or neglect?
• enable support?
• help another agency safeguard effectively?

If the answer is YES, sharing is likely to be appropriate.

• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026: Sets out the expectations for partners to share information effectively and confirms that concerns about information sharing should not prevent action to safeguard children.
• Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act: Introduced the Information Sharing Duty to provide clarity for practitioners on what and when they should share information for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.  This includes making it clear in the Children Act 2004 that there is no requirement for a child or young person to meet a particular statutory threshold.
• Information Sharing Duty 2026: Requires specified organisations to share relevant information where it will support safeguarding and promote the wellbeing of children.
• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026: As part of meeting a child or young person’s needs, it highlights the importance of governing bodies and proprietors of academy trusts to recognise the importance of information sharing between practitioners and local agencies.
• Children Act 1989 and 2004: Supports information sharing where necessary to safeguard children and ensure their welfare is protected.
• Families Act 2014 and the Care Act 2014: Supports information sharing to assist with a safe transition from Children’s to Adult’s Services and to promote an individual’s wellbeing.
• UK GDPR: Provides lawful bases for sharing personal information where necessary for safeguarding, protection from harm and the public interest.
• Data Protection Act 2018: Complements UK GDPR by providing specific safeguarding provisions that enable lawful information sharing to protect children and vulnerable individuals.

Professional standards and codes of practice: refer to your own agency standards and codes of practice.