Information Sharing in Safeguarding: What's Changed?

"Information sharing" comes up in almost every serious case review into child abuse and neglect — usually as one of the things that went wrong. A concern raised by a teacher never reaches the GP. A police callout to a domestic incident never reaches the school. A child moves settings, and their safeguarding file doesn't move with them, or arrives weeks later. It's a recurring theme, and it's one of the areas Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2026 and the updated Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance have both strengthened.

Why information sharing keeps needing updates

No single professional — teacher, social worker, GP, police officer — ever holds the complete picture of a child's life. Safeguarding only works when the pieces held by different people and agencies are actually brought together. That's the principle behind "it's everyone's responsibility," and it's why guidance keeps returning to information sharing as a theme: getting it right in practice is genuinely difficult, especially across organisational and IT boundaries.

What's changed for schools and colleges

KCSIE 2026 introduces more detailed expectations around:

• Transfer of safeguarding files between settings. New guidance sets clearer expectations for how and when a child's safeguarding file should be shared when they move schools, so information doesn't get lost or delayed during a transition.
• The DSL's role in coordinating information. The Designated Safeguarding Lead is expected to actively oversee information sharing and multi-agency working, rather than simply holding records centrally. This reinforces earlier guidance but with a sharper focus on demonstrable practice, not just policy.
• Alignment with Family Help. As referrals increasingly route through Family Help services rather than what used to be called targeted early help, schools need updated processes for what information goes where, and to whom — see our article on what Family Help means in practice for more detail.
• Multi-agency child protection teams. The wider Families First Partnership reforms are introducing multi-agency child protection teams in local areas, which changes who schools may be sharing information with locally.

The balance between sharing and confidentiality

None of this removes the need for judgement. Data protection law, including UK GDPR, doesn't prevent appropriate information sharing for safeguarding purposes — a common misconception that guidance has repeatedly had to correct. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is clear that safeguarding concerns can and should be shared with relevant professionals, and that fear of breaching data protection rules should never be used as a reason to withhold information that could protect a child. The guidance asks staff to record what was shared, with whom, when, and why — not to avoid sharing altogether.

What this means in practice for your setting

• Review how your safeguarding file transfer process actually works when a pupil joins or leaves — not just what the policy says should happen.
• Make sure DSLs and deputies understand the current local Family Help and multi-agency arrangements in your area, since these vary by local authority and are changing under the Families First Partnership programme.
• Refresh staff understanding of what information should be shared, with whom, and how it should be recorded — confusion here is still one of the most common gaps identified in safeguarding audits.
• Don't assume last year's training on information sharing still reflects this year's expectations.

Training that reflects the current guidance

Virtual College's Safeguarding in Education course and Level 3 safeguarding training have both been updated to reflect KCSIE 2026 and Working Together 2026, including the expectations around information sharing and multi-agency working. If your whole staff team needs a refresher ahead of the changes, a Virtual College training subscription gives you access to the full, up-to-date course library without needing to arrange separate procurement every time guidance is revised.