ASCL welcomes the consultation on statutory guidance for the new information sharing duty. Our response is framed from the perspective of school and college leaders and delegated responsibilities for safeguarding and what leaders need to exercise their responsibilities well.

ASCL recognises that schools and colleges are designated childcare and education agencies under the duty, and that they hold “vital information” about all children’s daily lives, attendance, behaviour and wellbeing. 

This central role of schools and colleges must be matched by clear safeguards and realistic expectations around routine data flows – for example, regular sharing of attendance and absence data – so that information sharing improves protection and support for children without normalising unnecessary bulk sharing or undermining trust.

ASCL supports the core intent of the duty: to give practitioners greater clarity and confidence to share information that will safeguard and promote children’s welfare, and to address long standing uncertainty around consent, data protection and confidentiality.

However, the guidance must reflect the realities of leading multi agency work around children who face complex risks, including familial and extra familial harm. Information is already shared at scale, and the challenge for leaders is less about whether to share and more about ensuring that information is purposeful, proportionate and clearly linked to safeguarding decisions and actions.

Full response to consultation