Confidentiality Policy
Chances Gives Choices | Confidentiality Policy | 2026
1 Policy Statement
Chances Gives Choices (CGC) Child Contact Centre is committed to providing a confidential, safe, and professional service to all families using our services.
Confidentiality is a fundamental principle underpinning service delivery, safeguarding responsibilities, and organisational integrity. CGC recognises that maintaining confidentiality is essential for:
● Protecting the welfare and privacy of children and families
● Safeguarding stakeholders
● Maintaining trust in the service
This policy must be read alongside the CGC Data Protection Policy, Privacy Policy, Information Security Policy and Safeguarding Policies.
2 Scope
This policy applies to:
● All staff
● Volunteers
● Session workers
● Managers
● Trustees
● Any individuals acting on behalf of CGC
It applies to all information relating to:
● Service users
● Children
● Families
● Staff
● Organisational operations
3 Principles of Confidentiality
CGC recognises that all stakeholders have the right to expect their information to be handled confidentially, lawfully and securely. Confidentiality is not absolute and information may or must be shared where there is a lawful basis and sharing is necessary and proportionate.
Safeguard a Child
Where there are concerns regarding the welfare or safety of a child, relevant information may be shared with appropriate authorities and safeguarding partners, including:
● Children's Services
● The Police
● Cafcass or other authorised safeguarding agencies, where relevant
Protect Individuals from Harm
Disclosure may also be necessary to prevent or address concerns relating to:
● Physical violence
● Risk of harm to service users
● Risk of harm to staff or volunteers
● Other serious safeguarding or public protection concerns
Outside lawful and necessary disclosures, confidentiality will be respected. Staff must not promise absolute confidentiality where safeguarding, legal or public protection duties may require information to be shared.
4 Policy Commitments
i. Staff Discretion
Staff and volunteers must not discuss or disclose details relating to families outside CGC duties or authorised professional contexts. Information must only be accessed or shared on a need-to-know basis.
ii. Family Court Reports
CGC staff will not provide verbal or written reports for family court proceedings outside CGC’s agreed service, referral arrangements or professional role unless authorised, commissioned, directed by a court, or otherwise legally required. Existing CGC contact records remain subject to lawful disclosure requirements.
iii. Attendance Records
Dates and times of attendance may be shared with referring agencies upon a legitimate and lawful request. Other information will only be disclosed where authorised, necessary and lawful.
iv. Personal Information
A parent’s personal details, including an address or telephone number, will not be shared with another person, including a former partner, unless there is an appropriate lawful basis. Consent may be appropriate in some circumstances, but safeguarding or other legal duties may permit or require disclosure without consent.
v. Assessments on Premises
Unless formally agreed by CGC management or required under an authorised referral, commissioning arrangement or court direction, solicitors, Cafcass officers, social workers or other professionals will not conduct assessments on CGC premises.
vi. Staff Vetting
All staff and volunteers must complete the level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check appropriate to their role and current eligibility requirements before undertaking relevant duties.
vii. Secure Information Storage
All information relating to families, children and staff will be stored securely, protected by appropriate technical and organisational measures, and accessed only by authorised personnel.
viii. Data Retention & Disposal
Information will be retained and securely disposed of in accordance with CGC’s current Data Retention Schedule, Data Protection Policy and any applicable statutory, safeguarding, contractual or legal requirements. Confidential waste will be destroyed securely.
Retention periods will not be determined solely by whether a record has been used recently.
ix. Policy Awareness & Access
Service users, referrers, staff and volunteers will be made aware of this policy. Copies will be made available upon request.
5 Safeguarding Information Sharing
CGC will follow current safeguarding information-sharing requirements. Practitioners must consider whether sharing information is necessary to safeguard and protect a child, identify an appropriate lawful basis, share only relevant and proportionate information, and record significant decisions about sharing or not sharing.
Consent is not always required for safeguarding information sharing. Where there is a safeguarding concern, staff must not delay necessary information sharing solely because consent has not been obtained.
From 30 September 2026, CGC will have regard to the statutory Information Sharing Duty under section 16LA of the Children Act 2004 where that duty applies to CGC or to the agencies with which CGC works, and to the associated statutory guidance and local data-sharing arrangements.
6 Data Protection & Current Legal Framework
CGC will manage confidential and personal information in accordance with the current legal and regulatory framework, including:
● UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
● Data Protection Act 2018
● Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which amends but does not replace the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018
● Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004, where relevant to safeguarding
● Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026
● Information sharing to safeguard children and young people: statutory guidance (2026)
● Current Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) guidance on data protection, security, data sharing and individual rights
CGC will maintain a process for data protection complaints in line with the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and current ICO guidance.
7 NACCC Standards
CGC will operate this policy consistently with applicable National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC) National Standards and accreditation requirements. NACCC standards identify confidentiality as a core area of safe and effective child contact service delivery and expect information about families to be treated in line with best practice.
The NACCC standards are live standards and may be updated. CGC will therefore check the current applicable NACCC standards and accreditation requirements at review, rather than relying only on a historic edition date.
8 Responsibilities
All staff and volunteers are responsible for:
● Maintaining confidentiality
● Handling information appropriately and securely
● Complying with CGC policies and current legal requirements
● Sharing safeguarding information when necessary, lawful and proportionate
● Reporting suspected confidentiality or personal-data breaches promptly
Failure to adhere to this policy may result in disciplinary action and, where appropriate, safeguarding, contractual or regulatory action.
9 Monitoring & Review
CGC will:
● Monitor compliance with confidentiality standards
● Review practices alongside Data Protection and safeguarding requirements
● Monitor current NACCC standards and accreditation requirements
● Update procedures in line with legal, statutory, regulatory and safeguarding changes
This policy will be reviewed annually and sooner where significant legislative, statutory guidance or NACCC standards changes occur.