Communication with Children and Young People

With the Data Protection Act (1998), the nursery has to control and protect the handling of the personal information of children and parents. Recklessness and naivety can cause personal information being let out into the public eye. Staff writing down children’s or their parent’s personal details or opinions can end up open to public view. This can be minimised by making sure all data is

Data Protection Act 1998 – gives individuals the right to know what information is held about them, and those that processes personal information must comply with eight principles, which makes sure that personal information is fairly and lawfully processed; processed for limited purposes; adequate, relevant and not excessive; accurate and up to date; not kept for longer than is necessary; processed in line with your rights; secure; not transferred to other countries without adequate protection;

Unit 3.3.1 – How communication with children and young people differs across different age ranges and stages of development

Practitioners have a legal duty of confidence with regards to person information that they hold about children young people and their families. Any information you receive about young people and their families. In my work setting information should only be shared with professionals, all information child protection records should be kept securely. These are kept behind the manager’s desk on a tall shelf so that children can’t access them. Personal information should only be disclosed to third parties such as social services after obtaining the consent to who the information relates to in some child protection matters but it may not be possible to obtain consent. The data protection act 1998 allow allegation without consent in some circumstances for example to detect and prevent crime, to apprehend prosecute and offender.

Confidentiality applies to the children act in many ways it protects children and young peoples information from being put into the wrong hands although the children act does state that the person can obtain the information being held themselves as because of data protection you have the right to access your own files.

Adapting communication based on your audience is very important to ensure that your message is fully understood. Therefore, you must change how you communicate with different people and in different situations.

It is very important that anyone working with children should be able to recognise if a child is at risk of harm of in need because of their vulnerability. The earlier this is recognised, the better outcome for the child involved.

The Children Act 1989, section 47 states that the Local Authority must investigate if it has ‘reasonable cause‘ to suspect that a child is suffering significant harm. This is also known as a section 47 enquiry. Ralph says he has been the victim of physical abuse and that this was a reoccurring act. As a social worker I would have to investigate this further. The questions I would want to find answers to would include; Are Ralph’s siblings at risk from experiencing similar physical abuse? Is Ralph at risk of suffering from physical abuse if he returns home to his mother? I would also want to look further into the causes behind Ralph’s truancy and why he has started to engage in anti-social behaviour. Could this be a result of a breakdown in his relationship with his mother? Or are there problems with the home environment? When Ralph disclosed that his mother hit him with a stick, he said that he did not want anyone else to know. With this we encounter a conflict of what Ralph wishes and the professional duty of the worker. When working with young people it is important to make sure that they are aware of and understand the agency’s confidentiality policy. As a social worker I would explain to Ralph, within his level of understanding, that I will have to record some of the information he shares with me. However if he shares information that suggests that himself

Children and their families have the right to privacy of their home lives. Information on the child and family needs to keep confidential and only shared if permission is given from the parents/carer. Conflict will occur when safeguarding the child from abuse from a family member. This information will then needed to be shared with other agencies this may need to be done without the parents consent in the interest of the child’s welfare. This information will still need to be done on a need to know bases and no gossiping.

Keeping in mind data protection, be aware of what is going on in a child’s life and any changes that may affect their behaviour

Protecting children from maltreatment also preventing impairment of children’s health or development. This ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care. Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.

• Confidentiality and when, for the safety of the child or young person confidentiality must be breached.

Children love to play and explore. For example while in a park a child will want to climb a ladder to go on a slide. Natural reaction may be to hold or even pick up a child and put them up. Children learn best when trying and experiencing things themselves. There is a risk of a child slipping and falling of the steps but a child also has a right to experience facilities to aid their development. Children need to learn how to predict and avoid dangerous situations.Another potential dilemma may be confidentiality. I must ensure that all personal information is kept confidential and is not shared with anyone else unless permission form is signed. But if there is a case of concern that a child’s welfare may be at risk social services have to be informed.There is also a possibility of conflict with parent’s wishes due to their culture and religion.

Effective information sharing by professionals is central to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This sharing of information makes an important contribution to the shift to addressing children’s needs at an early stage rather than when serious problems have developed. In order to safeguard and promote children’s welfare, arrangements should ensure that:

Data Protection Act 1998. The Data Protection Act is a key piece of legislation that ensures peoples rights regarding the confidentiality of their personal information. When handling someone’s information or personal data the data protection act highlights 8 principles that define good practice and breaching these principles can lead to serious legal implications. In Health and Social care many policies and procedures are based on the principles of the data protection act to ensure that client details remain confidential.