4. Raising concerns about a child

Anyone who is worried about a child and thinks they might not be safe should pass on this information to the services whose role it is to protect children: social workers and the police.

This is to make sure that services can work together with parents and carers to keep children safe from harm and take any action needed.

Social workers, health professionals and the police will gather information to help decide whether further investigation is needed.

Everyone has a role in protecting children from harm, abuse and neglect. Anyone concerned about a child can and should share their worries. 

This includes:

• • parents and carers who are worried about their child or another child they know
  • school teachers or other adults who work in the child’s school
  • health professionals like doctors, nursing staff, health visitors
  • people who know the child including their relatives, neighbours or local youth workers 
  • other people in the community who may have seen or heard something that has worried them

Everyone has a right to privacy and family life. 

When a child is not safe and needs to be protected there will be some people who will need to know about this and it is necessary to share relevant information with them. The people who may share and hold this information securely include:
 

• the child’s parents or carers, who are responsible for the child’s care and know them best
• police officers whose job is to protect children and vulnerable adults as part of their duty to protect the public
• social workers whose job is to support children and families, protecting children when they are not safe 
• health professionals like nurses, doctors, and health visitors who may need to know if a child has been hurt or injured
• staff working in education, including nurseries, schools and colleges, who will know the child and see them often
• other relatives and friends who may need to have some information to help them in their role in helping to keep a child safe
• there will be a lead professional who will be a social worker who works in children and families’ services in the local authority

To protect children, people need to know if the children are unsafe or at risk of being unsafe. 

People whose job it is to keep children safe can and must share relevant information about a child and their family when they are worried about a child. 

They must share relevant information, provided that it is necessary, proportionate and lawful to do so,  in a way that is secure and only with the people that need to know so that they can take action to keep a child safe. They do not need to ask parents or carers for permission to share this information. 

This is called confidential information sharing. 

Confidential is not secret but it is secure and respected. 

Children aged 12 and over are presumed to be of sufficient age and maturity (unless the contrary is shown) to see any information that is being shared about them and to challenge this should they want to. This is called a subject access request. The procedures for doing this are explained on the Information Commissioner’s Office website. To protect children and the privacy of others, some of this information may not be shared in full.

For children under the age of 12 (or for those aged 12-16 who are not of sufficient age and maturity), parents and carers with parental rights can make this subject access request on the child’s behalf but there are restrictions on this if there could be risks to a child. More information about this is on the Information Commissioner’s Office website. To protect children and the privacy of others, some of this information may not be shared in full.

Information sharing is covered by Data Protection legislation and the General Data Protection Regulation. More information about this on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.

To protect children, people need to know if they are unsafe or at risk of being unsafe. 

People whose job it is to keep children safe can and must share relevant information about a child and their family when they are worried about a child. 

They must share relevant information, provided that it is necessary, proportionate and lawful to do so,  in a way that is secure and only with the people that need to know so that they can take action to keep a child safe. They do not need to ask parents or carers for permission to share this information. 

This is called confidential information sharing. 

Confidential is not secret but it is secure and is respected. 

Parents and carers have the right to request to see any information that is being shared about them and to challenge this should they wish to. This is called a subject access request. The procedures for doing this are explained on the Information Commissioner’s Office website. To protect children and the privacy of others, some of this information may not be shared in full.

Information sharing is covered by Data Protection legislation and the General Data Protection Regulation. More information about this on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.