RCGP Safeguarding toolkit

Why do we need to share information?

Organisations need to share information with the right people at the right time for safeguarding purposes to:

• prevent abuse and neglect including serious harm and death
• co-ordinate effective and efficient responses to stop abuse and neglect
• enable early interventions to prevent the escalation of risk
• reveal patterns of abuse that were previously unrecognised and that could identify others at risk of abuse
• identify low-level concerns that may reveal people at risk of abuse
• help people to access the right kind of support to reduce risk and promote wellbeing
• help identify people who may pose a risk to others and, where possible, work to reduce offending behaviour
• reduce organisational risk and protect reputation.