Adult support and safeguarding information sharing

In the course of our involvement with you, we collect a variety of information from you. We view the early sharing of information as key to providing an effective response where there are emerging concerns.

To ensure effective safeguarding arrangements:

1. all organisations must have arrangements in place which set out clearly the processes and the principles for sharing information between each other, with other professionals and the SAB; this could be via an Information Sharing Agreement to formalise the arrangements

2. professional safeguarding is part of your individual responsibility. Do not assume that someone else will pass on information that may be critical to the safety and wellbeing of an adult. If a professional has concerns about an adult’s welfare, or believes they are at risk of abuse or neglect, they should report this to the local authority. If they believe or suspect a crime has been committed, they need to contact the police.

• your name, address and date of birth
• your needs and circumstances
• when and where staff met with you, what the meetings were about and what happened in them
• information that you have given to us
• information that your carer or other people that you know have given to us
• information provided by other services that may be working with you, e.g. Health and care workers, voluntary agencies
• professional opinion of staff supporting you

We use this information to make sure that

• the staff supporting you have accurate, up-to-date information to help them decide the best possible support for you
• there is an accurate record when we review your support
• your concerns can be properly looked into if you have a complaint

In most cases, information that is personal to you, or not widely known, will be kept only for use by us. Where it is in your best interests and we are legally allowed, we will share your information with other agencies.

If you would prefer us not to share your information, we will ask you to sign a form identifying any specific agencies or people with whom you do not want information shared, and what that information is.

We have a legal duty to keep your information confidential and secure, so your records are held in the strictest confidence.

There may be circumstances where we might have to share information without your permission. If we do, this will be on a strictly ‘need to know’ basis and will only occur

• where there is a risk of harm or abuse to you or other people
• where you are unable to give consent at a particular time, for example because of a physical or mental health condition
• where it is necessary to assist authorities with the prevention or detection of a crime, the apprehension or prosecution of offenders or the assessment or payment of tax
• where the court has made a formal order

We will let you know if we need to share information without your permission, unless telling you will harm a police investigation or put you or someone else at risk. Sometimes we may share information that does not identify you individually. This type of information can be used to plan services and show if we are meeting targets.

If we commission a care provider on your behalf, we may ask them to share information about your care with us in order to establish whether they are doing their job effectively. They are obliged to share records with us under their contract.

You can ask to see the information we hold on you under the Data Protection Act 1998.

For more information, see the Social Care Institute for Excellence's sharing information guidance.