Good information sharing is vital when professionals are worried about people and want to help them.  Early sharing of information is the key to providing effective early help where there are emerging problems. At the other end of the continuum, sharing information can be essential to put in place effective child protection services.  Learning from Serious Case Reviews reinforces the fact that both children and adults can suffer significant harm or death when professionals fail to share information or fail to share it in a timely way. Good communication and appropriate information sharing between professionals is therefore a critical element of effective safeguarding practice.

Whether you are sending an e-mail to another professional, making a phone call or participating in a meeting it is important that your focus remains on the safety and welfare of children and young people and that you share information consistent with the law and statutory guidance.  If you are worried about someone, you are allowed to talk with other professionals without fearing you are doing something wrong. You aren’t. Talking to each other and sharing information when trying to protect people from harm or to prevent a crime is lawful and in the substantial public interest.