11. Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults supersede any confidentiality concerns. Below are some key points to consider when working with children and vulnerable adults:
- Confidentiality is not absolutely guaranteed, and staff should be open and honest regarding its limitations.
- Children and vulnerable adults should be made aware of the limits to confidentiality and the potential consequences of disclosure.
- Where concerns are raised or allegations made regarding the parent of the child or young person, consultation should be made with a safeguarding champion on whether it is necessary to disclose any information to the parent. We should seek to gain consent from the parents to contact Norfolk Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS), unless to do so would place the child at further risk of harm or undermine a criminal investigation.
- Where an employee has a suspicion of significant harm, safeguarding procedures as outlined throughout this document must be put in place.
- Clear records must be kept of any concerns using the council’s electronic records systems and the relevant authorities notified.
11.1 Norwich City Council staff are reminded of how to legally and effectively share information to safeguard children and vulnerable adults using the HM Government’s “Seven golden rules for information sharing (pdf)”.
