GDPR in children and adult services

Information sharing is a critical aspect of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. It is crucial that those who have a responsibility to safeguard and, therefore, share information appropriately, are well informed of the legislative changes taking place and the impact the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will make to their job roles.

With less than three months before organisations have to enforce the GDPR, it is advisable that you start preparing now to understand the difference between the current Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and the GDPR. A good starting point would be to ask yourself one key question: are your current processes and policies compliant with the upcoming regulation?

Not sure? Here we take a look at how children and adult services can prepare for the changes.

Raise awareness and support your colleagues

Make sure that GDPR awareness is raised throughout your local authority and any agencies you work with. Big changes can feel daunting, so ensuring that your workforce feels supported is important and can ensure a smooth transition process. Has your organisation provided training to deal with the legislative changes and the impact they are likely to have on job roles? There are plenty of guidelines online, however, a smart training move would be to make sure everyone is receiving and understanding the same information.

Review your current policies

Start by reviewing your organisation’s current policies and guidelines surrounding data protection, specifically the legal basis in which you use and share personal data, and put a plan in place for making any necessary changes. What personal data does your organisation hold and whom do you share it with? You may need to organise an internal audit to support you with this.

Prepare guidelines for violations

In the run up to the compliance deadline, ensure any new processes are embedded throughout your services. Should your organisation experience any privacy violations, be prepared to deal with them effectively. You can do this by setting clear guidelines and providing your workforce with a procedure to follow so that data breaches are responded to quickly and in the most appropriate manner.

In addition to this, you should also establish a framework for accountability so that you have a clear policy that proves you meet the necessary GDPR standards. By creating a safe culture of monitoring and inspection, your organisation can protect itself from data breaches.

If you think, your organisation could do with an introduction to the GDPR then sign up to our free online course today and view our other free resources to help you with these important changes.