How well are you handling information?

Learning Objective

After completing this resource, you should be able to assess your confidence in handling information and managing confidentiality, and identify areas where you might need further support.

Confidentiality is about handling information and requests for information. You need to understand when you are able to keep difficult information confidential, when you are obliged to disclose information despite negative consequences, and how to handle sensitive information. These examples are based on generic confidentiality boundaries; always ensure you check the specific local policies and procedures relating to the organisation, setting and client group that you work with.

Instructions

The scenarios below will get you to think about yourself, your behaviour and the way you deal with confidential information. Confidentiality is a serious issue, so answer these questions as honestly as possible. Try to answer with what you would actually do, not what you know you should do. As you work through the questions you may go back and change your answers to arrive at better understanding of managing confidentiality in practice.

Your results

The answers you gave to each question represent a range of possible responses to the situation that have been broadly categorised as:

Acceptable Borderline Risky Breach of confidentiality

This is intended as a representative guideline rather than golden rules for acceptable or unacceptable behaviour.

The mother of one of your clients rings you up very concerned about her daughter’s whereabouts, she has not seen or heard from her in 3 weeks, and last time they had contact her daughter was talking about suicide. She wants to know if you have seen her daughter (you did see her earlier that day) and whether you think that she should be worried about the suicide risk. You are aware of the suicide threats but do not believe that the daughter will actually kill herself. The mother is not directly involved in the work that you do with her daughter, and the daughter has not given permission for you to disclose information to her mother. What do you do?
Not answered.
A police officer comes to your office looking for one of your clients in connection with some enquiries he is making about a crime that your client may have witnessed. He wants to know when you last saw him, where he lives, his phone number and whether you know where he was at the time of the crime. The client was with you in a 1-to-1 session at the time of the crime. What do you do?
Not answered.
One of your clients discloses to you that he got into a fight last night in a pub and knocked someone unconscious. What do you do?
Not answered.
You have a vital case conference scheduled with a group of other professionals for the end of the day across town from your office, and you need to take a large client file with you to the meeting. The meeting is close to your home, you are driving and have a briefcase without a lock with you. Your office would be closed by the time you drove back across town. What do you do?
Not answered.
One of your clients comes in very angry, she has found out that her husband has been sleeping with her best friend. She says that when she catches up with her best friend she is going to beat the living daylights out of her. Her friend is a client of one of your colleagues. Your client has a history of violent crimes. What do you do?
Not answered.
You work closely with the local drugs support agency. One of the workers there calls you up because they are concerned that your client is going to be made homeless and she wants to know if there is anything they can do to support the client or help the situation. You know all about the situation and that the client is in danger of losing his tenancy. The drugs worker is due to see the client before you are, and could do some useful work with the client if you explain the situation. You do not have the client's permission to talk to the drugs worker although you feel that the client would not mind if you did. What do you do?
Not answered.
You are walking along the street whilst off duty and see one of your clients being taken into an ambulance on a stretcher. A crowd has gathered and you overhear someone saying they think it is an overdose but that they don't know what drug the client has taken. You know what drugs the client normally takes. What do you do?
Not answered.
You are working with a vulnerable adult who tells you that he has got a new younger girlfriend and that he is getting drunk and having unprotected sex with her. He says he knows that she might get pregnant and that they might give each other STDs, and that he 'understands about drinking'. What do you do?
Not answered.
One of your clients died whilst you were working with her. Your client had isolated herself from her family during the last six months of her life, but had often told you that she loved and missed her mum. Her mother rings you up after her death and asks what you know about her daughter. You did not have your client's permission to talk to her family. What do you do?
Not answered.
You are working with a six-year-old child, she tells you that her dad used to leave her in the flat alone at night and go to the pub when she stayed with him for the weekend. However, he has realised what he was doing was wrong and doesn't do it anymore. She doesn’t want you to talk to the father because he has asked her to keep it to herself, or the mother in case she stops her seeing the father. The girl lives with her mum and is a 'Child in Need'. What do you do?
Not answered.
Start quiz afresh Reconsider your choices Submit
0 x
Not answered
0 x
Acceptable
0 x
Borderline
0 x
Risky
0 x
Breach of confidentiality

Review

Generally acceptable behaviour In terms of handling of information and confidentiality this is the correct course of action. There may be other consequences to your action none the less.

Borderline behaviour You could have handled information better; there may be problems for you, the client and/or the community as a result, but you may get away with it.

Risky behaviour There is a strong chance that you have breached confidentiality; there are likely to be problems for you, the client and/or the community.

Breach of confidentiality Your action constitutes a breach of confidentiality; there is a very high risk of serious problems for you, the client and/or the community.

Summary

If you handle information correctly, you will ensure that you are working in line with all relevant procedure and legislation. It is important to understand the implications of what you are told, to ensure that you don’t endanger anyone, or make complex situations worse. If you fail to share some information that you should have passed on, or you disclose information that you have no need or right to expose, then you can cause problems for yourself, your clients, their friends and family, the wider community or your organisation. The risk ratings used in this activity indicate the seriousness of the implications of your answer. It is never absolutely clear how people will react or how situations will unfold, so they are shown as different levels of risk of harm/problems. Of course, it is important that you act in a way that has the lowest risk of harm. Sometimes you have to make a decision that prioritises certain risks over others: i.e., if you have some information that involves harm to a child, you must disclose it even if this will damage your working relationship with the client.

Quiz