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Information sharing is vital for improving outcomes for all. It is key to the Government's goal of delivering better and more efficient public services that are coordinated around the needs of children, young people and families.
Guidance
The HM Government information sharing guidance (October 2008) suite of materials includes:
- guidance for practitioners and managers
- a pocket guide and quick reference guide
- case examples
- further guidance on legal issues.
This guidance is for practitioners who have to make case-by-case decisions about sharing personal information, whether they are:
- providing services to children, young people, adults and families
- working in the public, private or voluntary sectors as employees, contractors or volunteers.
The guidance is also for managers and advisors who support these practitioners in their decisions. It does not deal in any detail with arrangements for planned or bulk sharing of personal information between ICT systems or organisations.
Practitioner support tools
A set of short information sharing 'how to' guides have been developed to complement the HM Government information sharing guidance. The guides give practitioners and managers practical advice, based on best practice in information-sharing on a case-by-case basis.
Training
Information sharing: Introductory training course (March 2009)
An introductory training course based on the updated information sharing guidance has been developed by Barnardo's in partnership with the DCSF. It can be used by practitioners as self-study or by trainers as part of a classroom-based course.
The training course has been published on CD-ROM and is designed to be run from the CD or copied onto PCs for local use. The Information sharing: Introductory training course (March 2009) is available from the Every Child Matters: Online publications website.
Training materials
Training materials have been updated to reflect the updates in the guidance and are available on the integrated working training page. These are designed for local multi-agency training, and for use by providers of initial training and continuous professional development for the children's workforce.
Embedding good practice
The Information sharing factsheet: Embedding good practice (March 2009) factsheet describes the important organisational and cultural aspects that are required to ensure that good practice in information sharing is promoted and supported. It outlines the role of organisations, including children's trusts and the importance of appropriate policies and processes and gives examples of activities to embed good practice.
Further information
Statement on information sharing agreements and protocols (August 2008)
This statement aims to summarise how information sharing governance can support good practice, and clarifies the role of information sharing protocols. It details why agreements and protocols are unnecessary for sharing information about individual children.
Information sharing Q&A (March 2009)
Better information sharing in practice
Case studies showing how the function of the lead professional, use of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and multi-agency working contribute to better information sharing.
Integrated working factsheets
This includes a factsheet on information sharing guidance. The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) supports the implementation of integrated working.
Associated documents
Information sharing protocols
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Last updated on 09/12/2009
