Demands for confidentiality can sometimes stand in the way of doingeverything possible to safeguard and promote a child's welfare.
An education welfare officer relates what happened in the case of apregnant schoolgirl.
Everyone agrees professionals need to work together in the bestinterests of children, but every meeting about information sharing thatI go to leaves me more confused than the last.
The current draft guidance seems full of contradictions and there arevery different expectations in different agencies, especially when itcomes to older children and young people.
Take a recent case of a 14-year-old girl who confided to staff at herschool that she was pregnant. There were no perceived child protectionissues and she was helped to access appropriate health services who, ather request, arranged a termination.
She was adamant that she did not wish her parents or any otherprofessional to be told of her circumstances.
The recent debate about whether the police should be informed of apossible offence is not the only issue that needs resolution. The schoolin this case adhered to the pupil's wishes, albeit reluctantly. Manyschools would have great difficulty in doing so and would see it asthreatening the parents' role. It effectively placed all theresponsibility for deciding what to do on her pastoral teacher and thesexual health worker.
The termination was arranged for a Monday morning, a school day. Justone member of staff knew why she was absent and her parents thought shewas at school. The person who follows up unexplained absences had to betold not to in this case, but not why. In the end they put C for other,rather than M for medical, on her attendance record.
She went for the termination with her boyfriend, also absent from schoolthat day. What if she had been taken ill that evening? What if she had ahealth problem she didn't disclose? Would the school be liable? Werechecks made with her GP? What if her parents had needed to contacther?
What will happen when they receive her attendance printout with anabsence they know nothing about?
Has everything been done that should have been done to fulfil theschool's duty to "safeguard and promote" her welfare? Isn't any systemthat requires such confidentiality inevitably going to mean thatsometimes people who know something important about a child never get achance to share it?
- Have you ever faced a tough professional choice? Call Stovin Hayter on020 8267 4767 or email stovin.hayter@haynet.com.
