Sharing information and confidentiality

There will be times when sharing information about children and young people with other organisations will be necessary to protect their wellbeing.

By sharing information about a child or young person safely and proactively you can help create a holistic picture about them. This can increase the opportunities to get prompt and specialist help for them if needed, and help ensure their safety and wellbeing.

Oranga Tamariki Act

Under the Oranga Tamariki Act, you can do these things if it is helpful and in the best interests of tamariki and whānau.

1. Proactively and voluntarily share with the professionals who will be most able to help tamariki and whānau

As long as you follow the requirements of the provisions, you can proactively and voluntarily share information with another professional.

2. Ask for information to be shared with you

You can ask others to share relevant information with you as long as it is for the reasons and purposes of the provisions and the professional or agency is covered by the provisions.

3. Choose how to respond to an information request (unless it is a section 66 request from Oranga Tamariki or Police).

The information-sharing provision section 66C means information can be shared between professionals, not that it must be. You have to use personal judgement to decide whether to share information. The exception is when Police or Oranga Tamariki make a specific request under section 66 (which is different from section 66C - the section which gives you information-sharing abilities).

Have clear policies and guidance

Clubs/organisations should have an information sharing and confidentiality policy and guidance, which adheres to the relevant legislation. You should share information in line with your club/organisation’s policy.

A club/organisation should have a Child Safeguarding Rep. If you receive a request to share information about a child or young person, you should refer the request to your Child Safeguarding Rep, who will assess whether it is in the child or young person’s best interests to share the information.