Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to take steps with the Secretary of State for Education to develop guidance for health, education and children’s social care commissioners or providers on sharing information about a child with other relevant health, education and children’s social care commissioners or providers.

The Data Protection Act 2018 and the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation provide a framework to support appropriate and lawful secure data sharing relating to children and young people. The legislation also ensures that agencies and organisations are transparent and accountable in relation to their use of data.

Non-statutory guidance on information sharing, ‘Information sharing: Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers’ was published in July 2018. This advice is being currently being revised and the updated guidance will be published in due course.