Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes

Chapter 4 — Guiding principles for the Information Sharing Schemes

When using the Information Sharing Schemes schools must have regard to a number of guiding principles, specific to each scheme.

Child Information Sharing Scheme: principles for sharing

Schools must consider the following legislative principles when using the Child Information Sharing Scheme:

• Give precedence to the wellbeing and safety of a child or group of children over the right to privacy.
• Seek to preserve and promote positive relationships between a child and the child’s family and people significant to the child.
• Seek to maintain constructive and respectful engagement with children and their families.
• Be respectful of and have regard to a child’s social, individual and cultural identity, the child’s strengths and abilities and any vulnerability relevant to the child’s safety or wellbeing.
• Promote the cultural safety and recognise the cultural rights and familial and community connections of children who are Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or both.
• Seek and take into account the views of the child and the child’s relevant family members, if it is appropriate, safe and reasonable to do so.
• Take all reasonable steps to plan for the safety of all family members believed to be at risk from family violence.
• Only share confidential information to the extent necessary to promote the wellbeing or safety of a child or group of children, consistent with the best interests of that child or those children.
• Work collaboratively in a manner that respects the functions and expertise of each Information Sharing Entity.

Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme: principles for sharing

Schools must consider the following legislative principles when using the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme:

• Information Sharing Entities should:
  • work collaboratively to coordinate services in a manner that respects the functions and expertise of each Information Sharing Entity
  • give precedence to the right to be safe from family violence over the right to privacy
  • only collect, use or disclose a person’s confidential information to the extent that the collection, use or disclosure of the information is necessary:
    • to assess or manage risk to the safety of a person from family violence
    • to hold perpetrators of family violence accountable for their actions.
  • collect, use or disclose the confidential information of a person who identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in a manner that:
    • promotes the right to self-determination and is culturally sensitive
    • considers the person’s familial and community connections.
    • have regard for and be respectful of a person’s cultural, sexual and gender identity and religious faith.
• When sharing any person’s information to assess or manage risk to a child, schools should:
  • promote the agency of the child and other family members at risk of family violence by ensuring their views are taken into account (having regard for the appropriateness of doing so and the child’s age and maturity)
  • take all reasonable steps to ensure the information is shared in a way that:
    • plans for the safety of all family members at risk of family violence
    • recognises the desirability of preserving and promoting positive relationships between those family members and the child.
  • take into consideration the age and stage of the child, and their cultural, sexual and gender identity.