Your information

We create a confidential record for each of our clients, and you have a right to see your own file. Personal information will not be passed to people outside the social care team without your agreement unless:

• the law requires it
• there is a serious danger to you or another person
• there has been unethical or criminal behaviour

If the member of staff you normally see is ill, on holiday or leaves, the record helps us continue to help you. We need to know:

• what would best meet your needs
• what services you are receiving
• who to contact in an emergency
• your ethnicity and religious believes
• about your family circumstances
• about your health, work or school and, in some cases, your finances.

Sharing Information

The information you give us may be shared with your consent to obtain services for you. If we can, we will ask your permission before we share the information. In certain circumstances we may have to do this without your permission.

Those we might share with could include:

• your GP, nurse or health visitor
• the police
• teachers
• housing authorities
• other local authorities
• home carers
• agencies involved in providing services
• the Criminal Records Bureau.

Following your assessment, we will ask you or your representative to sign your records to confirm that the details are correct and that we have your permission for us to share the necessary information with other professionals. In most cases, other people, including members of your family, cannot see your file without your agreement.

If you are incapable of managing your own affairs because of a mental disorder, someone acting within the terms of Enduring Power of Attorney, or under an order of the Court of Protection, can apply to see your information.