Confidentiality is the preservation of secret information concerning children, young people and their families which is disclosed in the professional relationship.
Confidentiality means respect for the privacy of any information about a child and his or her family.Confidentiality is very important when working in setting with children and young people . Any practitioner working with children will need to practise confidentiality ,whether in a early years setting , a care environment, a school or in the family home .
Maintaining confidentiality in day-to-day communication
Some information does have to be share , but only with the line manager .For example , if it is a child protection issue , this should be shared with the line manager in the strictest confidence.Parents needs to be aware of this policy from the outset of partnership .
Some informations has to be share with the whole staff team , such as information about diet , allergy and if the child is being collect by someone else .
In many instances when working under the supervision of others it is likely that parents will pass confidential information directly to a more senior staff member . However there may be occasions on which you are given information and asked to pass it on , or that you may hear or to be told confidential information in the course of the daily routine .A practitioner may be entrusted with personal information about children ,young people , parents and staff , either directly (being told or being given written information ) or indirectly ( hearing staffroom discussions , parental comments or children’s or young people’s conversations ) , and it is important that this information to don’t be repeated any of it at home or to friends .
The Data Protection Act 1998
Under the Data Protection Act 1998 , all schools processing personal data must comply with the eight principles of effective practice .Data