Information Sharing Duty new statutory guidance

Information Sharing Duty Information Sharing Duty Sept 2026: The government has published new statutory guidance on sharing information to safeguard children and young people.

The guidance, published on 10 September 2026, explains the new information sharing duty introduced through section 16LA of the Children Act 2004. The duty comes into force on 30 September 2026 and applies to a range of safeguarding organisations, including education and early years agencies, local authorities, health services, the police and other specified organisations.

It replaces the previous non-statutory Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services.

What is changing?

The new duty is intended to remove uncertainty about whether information can be shared, particularly where concerns relate to emerging needs, early help or a child’s wider welfare rather than an immediate risk of significant harm.

There is no requirement for a child to have reached a particular statutory threshold before relevant information can be shared.

From 30 September 2026, an organisation covered by the duty must share information with another organisation covered by the duty where:

• it holds information about a child, or another person connected to that child;
• it considers the information relevant to safeguarding or promoting the child’s welfare; and
• it considers that sharing the information may help the recipient assess need or risk, make a decision, provide support or take safeguarding action.

The duty applies both when an organisation identifies relevant information itself and when it receives a request for relevant information from another organisation covered by the legislation.