The Green Paper for Vulnerable Children - Ministry of Social ...

How much personal information should be shared between theprofessionals and others who are working with a particular childor family/whānau?As much as possible: A clear majority said all information should be shared, and a majoritysaid at least as much as necessary to keep a child safe. A clear majority of NGO submissionssupported sharing only enough information as necessary to keep individual vulnerablechildren safe.A small minority of submissions that advocated for information-sharing argued the rights ofchildren should take precedence over the rights of adults, particularly with regard to child safetywhich was the ‘bottom line’.Professionals need to know as much as they can about who they are working with. Too often,we spend too much time finding out what other people already know. (frontline worker)At the end of the day, if a kid is seriously harmed or dies, it reflects on the entire nation,and it’s not enough to stand back and say we protected someone’s rights while they violatea child’s rights. We have to protect those who can’t speak for themselves and rely on us.So bottom line – individual rights are second to the rights of the child. (general public)Share all information: Submissions taking the position all information should be shared argued that:• freely sharing information would give professionals more time to do their jobs, fostercollaboration, and enable them to see a single problem in the context of a family’s entire needs• a lack of information-sharing enabled professionals to assume that someone else wouldtake responsibility for a child’s safety and wellbeing.All of it. Knowledge is power and we need to be very transparent and informed. That waypeople do not fall between the cracks in our existing system. If we know help is required,we can assist. If not, we are all ignorant and the young are even more vulnerable –common sense, really. (general public)Supporters of this idea often discussed the ethical principles employed by professionals.These submissions argued professionals should be trusted to use information in the bestinterests of a child.All of it. If you don’t know the full background, you don’t have the full picture.Any professional person working in this field would be mindful of the confidentiality.(general public)Share enough information as is necessary: Submissions proposing sharing as muchinformation as necessary to keep a child safe argued that:• agencies should be able to share whatever was necessary and appropriate to get a“complete picture” of a child and/or their family, address a child’s issues, or ensure the“best outcome for the child”• information should only be shared if it were relevant to the child’s physical safety.As much as is appropriate to ensure the safety of the child – we need to stop beatingabout the bush and say it like it is. Not sharing enough information with those workingwith a child leaves the child and the worker in a vulnerable position. We need toremember the focus is THE CHILD. (frontline worker)Practice Changes Policy Changes Show Leadership Share Responsibility Children / Young People Executive SummaryThe Green Paper for Vulnerable Children Full Summary of Submissions137