Youth Justice: Information Sharing

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 introduces an information sharing duty that requires safeguarding partners – Children’s Social Care, health, schools and early years, policing, and justice – to share information relevant to a child’s safety and welfare, if doing so may help another relevant organisation exercise their function, unless it is determined that sharing would be of greater detriment to the child. This will allow practitioners to gain a fuller understanding of a child’s circumstances, to make more informed decisions and provide timely support and action where needed.

This measure, along with the provision for the specification of a consistent identifier, a strengthened role for education in local safeguarding arrangements and the creation of multi-agency child protection teams will strengthen safeguarding across the system, to keep children safe and reduce their likelihood of contact with the youth justice system.