Seeking consent for agencies to share information, when the intention is to make a report to social services, can be daunting. In a study completed by Horwath (2007) practitioners from a diverse range of disciplines described how they were often anxious about the potential responses of families. They feared either fight responses such as aggression both physical and verbal or flight responses such as withdrawal from services.
The potential for negative responses is likely to be reduced if the practitioner seeking consent:
- explains why information needs to be shared and with whom; (To comply with the law relating to confidentiality, data protection and human rights, practitioners should be able to explain the legitimate purpose for sharing information)
- checks any factual information is accurate and up-to-date, such as names, birth dates;
- ensures the information is proportionate for the purpose;
- clarifies how the information will be used;
- specifies how it will be shared and how it will be stored securely;
- outlines the implications of not giving consent;
- explains next steps.