Information sharing

The Data Protection legislation is not an automatic barrier to information sharing. The Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulations allow organisations to share information for a variety of reasons including safeguarding vulnerable individuals and for the purpose of preventing and detecting crime.

Sharing information is essential for effective service delivery with partners the Council works with. The Council works with a number of partners including but not limited to the following:

• Central Government departments
• Health care providers
• Commercial organisation
• Research institutions
• Schools and other education providers
• Voluntary and community establishments

Sharing personal information presents risks and opportunities that need to be managed correctly. The Council has processes and policies in place to manage sharing of personal data. These comply with Data Protection principles including:

• Documenting purposes for sharing including lawful reasons under data protection legislation
• Making sure all parties involved comply with individual rights and have appropriate technical and organisational measures to secure the information
• Making sure that information shared is relevant, accurate and its retention is managed correctly especially after the sharing arrangement ends.

For routine sharing, where appropriate, this is done through formal Data Sharing Agreements and in compliance with the Council’s Data Protection Policy.

More information on how the Council uses and shares personal information can be read in our Privacy Policy.