Its central concern with the information-sharing policy is that so much of the thinking behind it is driven by the needs of children. Too little attention has been given to the distinctive needs of young people, though it is hoped that the new green paper may help to redress the balance.
Although Youth Access naturally supports the Government's aim to protect children, it argues that this cannot be achieved in the same way across such a wide age spectrum as 0-19 years. What works for a five-year-old is unlikely to make sense for a 15-year-old.
In Youth Access's wide experience, young people in their teens value confidentiality highly and would be much less likely to use services, or ask for help, if given the impression that their details might be shared with other organisations or groups. The potential to erode advice services and other parts of the voluntary sector's ability to provide a level of confidentiality is a concern.
Much of this concern could be allayed through ensuring that the principle of legal "competence" and "consent" is better understood by all services and applied consistently. The need to understand these matters applies to both practitioners and young people. Youth Access believes that a national awareness campaign among young people about their right to give consent for information sharing is needed. Above all, Youth Access hopes that any new guidance on information sharing pays scrupulous attention to young people's needs and their right to privacy.
- Further information is available at www.youthaccess.org.uk.
