Confidentiality why is it important when working with children

It is a presumption that every adult patient has the mental capacity to make choices and decisions concerning the disclosure of their personal information, unless proved otherwise. In some circumstances, disclosing confidential patient information is permissible in the public interest.

MDDUS advice to its members on the core principles of patient confidentiality. There can be various reasons why a doctor or dentist would want to make a visual or audio recording of a patient consultation or procedure, such as for research or training purposes.

However, it is important to respect ethical principles of consent and confidentiality in doing so. For registration, or any login issues, please visit our login page. Confidentiality - children and young people Regulatory bodies make it clear that confidentiality is central to the trust between clinicians and their patients and is essential to providing good care. Basic considerations While there are legal differences across the countries of the UK, the age of absolute consent is generally regarded as being 16 years, but even a child under age 12 may still be able to understand and make rudimentary decisions about how their personal information is used and shared, and this must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

It may be appropriate to share confidential information if any of the following apply: You are required to do so by law or under the terms of a lawful court order. The child or young person is deemed to have capacity and has given their consent for specific information to be shared. Disclosure of personal information is justified in the public interest. A minimum data set of information should normally be disclosed when the decision has been made to alert an appropriate agency over concerns: The identity of the child or young person and, where applicable, their parents or guardians and also any other individual who is suspected may pose a risk or harm to them.

Common pitfalls Communicating information to young people in a manner that allows parents to have unintended access to sensitive, confidential information which the young person has sought to keep private. Failing to disclose personal information which is required by law or under the terms of a court order, or where there is legitimate public interest argument for disclosure. Failing to disclose personal information when a child or young person may be at risk of serious harm, or causing an unreasonable delay in the disclosure.

Failure to provide sufficient details to allow a relevant authority to respond, when a decision has been made to disclose personal information. The three critical criteria for sharing information without consent, or overriding refusal to give consent, are:. These are kept by the key person but can be accessed freely by the child, other staff working with the child and the parents. They contain confidential information, such as the registration form, contractual records and parental consent forms, as well as records regarding work undertaken with the family.

The Continuum of Need outlined in the Child Assessment Framework provides practitioners with a means of locating where a child is within the continuum and how to provide for their needs. These should include a means of recording:. Means of recording should enable information to be gathered that is concise, non-judgemental and to the point. It should never become a task that is an end in itself, nor one in which the needs of the child become obfuscated beneath a pile of forms.

This must be in writing to each individual named, including the parents. Most agencies will refuse consent as the parent should go directly to them to see any records.

Some individuals may wish to remain anonymous, such as another parent who shared concerns with you, and will refuse consent. A copy is made of the file and any entry where consent has been refused to share will be deleted.

What will remain in the file will be a trace of your work: your concerns and actions. Confidential information must not be shared outside of the setting E. G family or friends. In addition all information needs to be store properly- in a secure place.

As anything you learn about children or their families or other during the course of your practice is likely to be very confidential. You may be given documents that cover sensitive areas- this means that you need to keep the information confidential but also in a safe and secure lock up.

Lastly it is vital that as a practitioner that we maintain confidentiality as our main priority is the welfare of child and their development. Secondly you should always maintain confidentiality to keep a good relationship with the parents.

Overall you should always make sure that the person who is picking the child up has the right of access as this could lead into very bad situations of the child being abducted. When passing on information make it is to the correct people as the child might not be telling the truth and putting the child and family in danger for no reason.